Writers to test waters at open mic night

There will be plenty of comedy and drama tonight when an open mic night takes place at the Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre.

The event is a chance for writers and performers to practise their work ahead of the Shore Lines Writing for Performance Festival later this year.

Entries for the writing competition are open until August 31 with the performance festival to take place at Edith Cowan University South West’s Spring Fair on October 30.

Shore Lines Writing for Performance Festival organising committee member Vahri McKenzie said the open mic night was a unique opportunity for writers to see their work performed.

“Writers have the option to perform but they don’t have to if they don’t want to,” she said.

“We’ve partnered with Stark Raven Theatre to have people perform the work in street festival style.”

Dr McKenzie said people were encouraged to come along and take part in the fun by either watching or performing.

“There are about 12 performers and we will see poetry, monologues, short stories, short play scripts and stand up,” she said.

“There will be a bit of everything, there will be some short and sweet works and some not so short and sweet works.

“It’s a chance to launch the festival and for writers to show how their work is progressing in front of a live crowd.”

Dr McKenzie said she encouraged interested writers to submit work for the writing competition.

“They will then be short-listed and the chosen pieces will be performed at the festival in October,” she said.