New London Writers' Collective

One of the biggest problems with producing plays on the fringe is the cost of hiring a venue. Most insist on a run of at least three weeks and rental is normally at least £150 per night. That's a big outlay and, unless you have a very large family or get rave reviews, you're likely to make a significant loss.

Writer and producer Kieron Barry has addressed the problem by creating the New London Writers' Collective, which brings together four new plays for a run at The Tabard Theatre in London, starting next week.

With plays staged in double bills on alternate nights, costs are shared and each production has a more manageable run of nine performances. Kieron has also conceived the season as being writer-led - a hook from which to hang the much-needed publicity.

A declaration of interest: I'm one of the writers. My play, Antigua, opens at The Tabard on Tuesday 7th November at 9pm.

For anyone new to writing for theatre I've also written a piece for Danny Stack's blog about getting started as a playwright.