Doctor Who and Sherlock writer to be star guest at Wrexham arts festival

Sep 2 2010 by Michael Green, Flintshire Chronicle

A new festival that will examine how creative ideas can be reshaped and adapted into various art forms has been launched.

Taking place at Glyndwr University and Wrexham Library from September 9–11, Kaleidoscopic will be open to members of the public and will feature renowned artists talking about the creative process and business of adapting ideas for film, TV, radio, theatre, and much more.

Festival highlights include an exclusive Q&A with TV writer and producer Steven Moffat about Sherlock – the modern day reincarnation of Sherlock Holmes.

Sherlock executive producer and screenwriter Steven Moffat will team up with his wife, Sherlock producer Sue Vertue, to discuss the challenging process of adapting a national favourite into a fast paced and thrilling drama for television.

The masterclass on Thursday, September 9 will explore the modern day re-incarnations of both Sherlock and Doctor Watson, posing questions to the team who successfully brought this Arthur Conan Doyle classic to life for a 2010 audience.

There will also be a masterclass by Tim Firth who will discuss adapting his screenplay of Calendar Girls into a successful stage play.

Mike Poultan – an English translator and adapter of classic plays – will be on hand to talk about his recent adaptation of Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur for the Royal Shakespeare Company,.

And one of Britain’s best loved writers, Ian Edginton, alongside one of the medium’s brightest artistic talents, INJ Culbard, will be in conversation to discuss the first two instalments of Self Made Hero’s Sherlock Holmes graphic novel series: The Hound of the Baskervilles and A Study in Scarlet.

There will also be sessions on writing for radio featuring Alison Hindell, head of radio drama, BBC, and acclaimed radio dramatist Mike Walker and how to find support for writers featuring representatives from the Film Agency for Wales, Everyman Playhouse, and Academi – the Welsh National Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Authors.

There will also be an exclusive Pierhead Session, presented by the National Assembly for Wales, that will examine if a country can be a brand and if so how has ‘Brand Wales’ been adapted over the past 50 years.

“We’re very excited to be hosting this new festival, which we believe will be a must attend event for anyone with an interest in the arts and key addition to the Welsh cultural calendar,” said Lynda Powell, head of commercial services, Glyndwr University.

“Since achieving university status we’ve been planning to organise a high quality national event that will attract audiences from around Wales and the UK and we’re confident that the programme for the inaugural Kaleidoscopic will achieve this.

“During this very difficult time, especially for SMEs, a lot of people may consider it ill advised to launch a new festival,” said festival organiser Berwyn Rowlands from The Festivals Company.

“However, we believe that Kaleidoscopic has identified a gap in the market by focusing solely on the process and business of adapting one art form to another, and we’re confident that its unique focus, together with the quality of the programme, will ensure that the festival quickly establishes itself as an engaging, original, and exciting event.

“As a company, we’re also very excited about organising our first festival in the North East and working with such fantastic partners as Glyndwr University and Wrexham Library.”

Tickets for all the sessions will be available through the festival website (kaleidoscopicfest.org), the Glyndwr University website (www.glyndwr.ac.uk/events), by telephone (01978-293293), and in person from Glyndwr University.