A project to encourage new writing for the Brighton Festival has been awarded more than £11,000 from the National Lottery.

Theatre and Beyond (TAB) was launched at last year's festival with a production of Bleeding Chunks, which showcased extracts of plays by Brighton writers. It was so successful they will have a week-long residency at the Pavilion Theatre during this year's festival.

TAB, which was founded by Brighton director Maria Pattinson and actress Anita Parry, initiates training, research and development projects aimed at bringing writers and artists across the media together to explore new ways of making drama.

The company has been given £11,200 of lottery cash through South East Arts for a programme of new writing events that will take place during the Brighton Festival 2000. It will also be used to finance workshops on Six Inches Of Travel by Josie Melia, which was showcased by TAB last year.

These workshops will involve pupils from Falmer High School, Patcham High School and East Brighton College of Media Arts reworking the play. In addition, a full production of the play will be performed at Varndean Sixth Form College.

Ms Pattinson added: "The workshops give young people a lot of professional theatre experience as well as greater self-confidence and team-working skills."

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