"Learning to write is learning to work" - an hour with Vinay Patel

Vinay's cats

An whole entire hour with the acclaimed screenwriter and playwright Vinay Patel involves a lot of witty humour, personal anecdotes, stories about his BAFTA experience as well as advice and info on how he got to be where he is today. His was a riveting talk with DMU lecturer, Kathleen Bell followed  by questions from a keen audience who were eager for answers.

Patel gave us an insight into his work and how he got to be the successful playwright we know him as today. I have to say that I thought that Patel would be one of those unrelateable, snobby writers who seem near enough 'untouchable'. In actuality he is very down to earth. He admitted struggling with multiple deadlines, joking that "all procrastination is good procrastination" and also told us how, quite unintentionally, he came to be "running a retirement home for cats."

His humour certainly made me certainly feel happy to be at the event, which was also incredibly interesting. He told us about his up and coming ventures which include a touring production for Paines Plough as well as an epic drama, An Adventure, being produced at The Bush Theatre in Shepherds Bush, London. The adventure in question is based on the life of his grandparents who travelled over three continents (from India, to Kenya then England).

Patel also expressed his interest and passion for wanting to create pieces that highlight the talent of minority actors, as well as meaningful stories, like his critically acclaimed drama, Murdered By My Father (BBC, 2016) which tells the story of an honour killing. He also stated that he would love to write something in the sci-fi genre of which he's an immense fan.
 

Throughout his whole entire talk, Vinay Patel made me think about my own writing and the different ways in which I might write. "Pick things that are important to you," he said. I've always wanted to write a script or play and this made me even more inspired. It made me think about not writing about what I think other people may want to see, but instead starting from the issues and subjects that interest me.

Overall, this Cultural Exchanges event has a very powerful effect on me. It was a conversation not to be missed.

Tara N. Lawal

"Theatre is the purest form of expression"

Vinay Patel's appearance at the Cultural Exchanges festival yesterday seemed humble, in contrast to the festival brochure’s picture of him decked out in a polka shirt and blue suit. And that's just what he was, during the talk with Kathleen Bell (a lecturer at DMU): humble. 

Despite making a "meteoric rise" in his career through the BAFTA-nominated drama film Murdered By My Father (2016) he said, "I'm not confident enough in what I do to be more involved" when asked about the process of producing films from his scripts. 

However, he remained confident in his idea of what theatre is and what film is. 

"Writing for theatre is changing in terms of what you can do with it ... when writing for theatre, the main unit of meaning is in a line. But in film, it’s in the juxtaposition of two images." Despite his own comment that this statement was "wanky," I found it refreshingly introspective.

Coming from someone who claims that writing was "the only thing [he] could do" at school, I'd say Patel is certainly meteoric. 

“Theatre is the purest form of expression,” he said in response to one question from the audience. 

His one complaint about the theatre industry is that “it’s dominated by people with lots of money.” He suggested that if this wasn’t so, presentation of characters and topics addressed in plays would be more diverse, and in turn audiences would be more diverse. 

Interested in Vinay Patel’s next play? Coming this September is his ‘An Adventure.’

Book your tickets now for its run at London's Bush Theatre.t the Bush Theatre now!

G.E. Knight

G.E. Knight

Vinay Patel and his rise through writing

“Writing a script at home in your pants with your two cats is what success looks like!” - To all those aspiring writers out there…well you heard it here first.

 

De Montfort University was treated to a conversation by the very entertaining writer that is Vinay Patel. Vinay talked to Kathleen Bell and the audience about the ten years that led to his meteoric rise in screen and play-writing, as well as telling us briefly about his two beloved cats!

 

From a young age, Vinay wrote short stories, whilst watching Star Trek at the end of his father’s bed. This is where his love for writing began. 

 

Murdered by My Father was his big break, but if it wasn’t for his Agent seeing the potential, he would have turned it down. The television drama ended up being nominated for three BAFTAS, which was a surreal moment in his life - even if his Grandma thought he looked like a waiter!

Some advice that everyone took away with them was that the audience is an important factor when it comes to writing. Vinay stated himself with his witty humour - “If you don’t care about your audience, write a diary!”

 

Most of Vinay’s upcoming work is under wraps. However he did let us know that one of his current TV projects is in the crime and detective genre. This year’s plans also include going back into directing. 

 

If anyone is interested in seeing more of Vinay Patel’s inspiring work, then get down to London to watch his new play, An Adventure, which opens at The Bush Theatre in autumn 2018.

Lauren Irish

Writers are human too ...

Vinay Patel provided hope to any would-be writer that success is attainable with the right amount of determination and flexibility. He provided an insight into the world of the playwright, explaining the differences between the stage and the screen.

His discussion with DMU's Kathleen Bell served as a reminder that writing scripts, for either medium, is a process which extends far beyond putting words on the page, with involvement in casting and deliverance also coming into play. To hear that the writer for TV is often the most overlooked member of a production team was truly fascinating. 

Furthermore, Vinay proved to be incredibly personable, with a love of cats, proving that writers, for all their talents, are human like the rest of us - and that's a thought which makes the gulf between dreaming of a script and having it produced seem much less daunting.  

L Robertson

Four legs badass in Revolution Farm

George Orwell is a big hitter in literature so when I heard James Kenworth was coming to Cultural Exchanges to talk about his adaptation of Animal Farm, I knew I had to attend. 

Kenworth gave an awe-inspiring on how he turned Animal Farm into Revolution Farm, a modern-day dramatic adaptation set and staged on Newham Farm in East London - and how he got permission to do it.  
In Kenworth's adaptation the animals wear hoodies and that makes them seem more dangerous since so many older people feel threatened by hoodie-wearing teens. It makes it seem "badass".

And that word "badass" is the right one since Kenworth changed Orwell's famous line "Four legs good, two legs bad," from Animal Farm, to "Four legs badass, two legs waste man." And that's just one example of how Revolution Farm uses modern slang. He also changes the names of the characters so that Napoleon, for instance, becomes Daddy Love.
 
Most of the presentation was about the creation of this adaptation and how James Kenworth didn't wanted to make it his own, but to make it modern. But to me it seemed, from this brilliant presentation, that by taking Orwell's work and turning it into a contemporary play, he also succeeded in making it very much his own.


Josh Harwood

Vinay Patel, BAFTA-nominated playwright ... and cat-lover

Vinay Patel, BAFTA nominee, writer, and most importantly, cat lover, is attending De Montfort University in Leicester for the Cultural Exchanges Festival 2018. 

Patel has a very long list of writing credits, including theatre, television film and radio, including credits for the BBC and ITV. As an aspiring writer, I think that hearing Patel discuss his career so far and respond to questions on his writing could be extremely beneficial for not only me, but other writers who dream of seeing their work depicted on screens. 

My interest doesn't just stem from Vinay Patel's impressive portfolio of professional work but also from his blog titled 'shut up and deal', and from his use of social media. Patel is rather active on his verified Twitter page, where he posts about his work, personal life, and his beautiful cats.

The Cultural Exchanges Festival has something for everyone, and definitely has events that intend to entertain audiences in areas they may not be familiar with.

I look forward to attending some of these events, not only to benefit my writing but also to find ways to expand culturally. 

You can book for Vinay's "in conversation" session here. It's on Thursday 1st March, at 5 in DMU's Clephan Building.

Paige Nicole

The man behind Revolution Farm

Animal Farm is no more. Make room for James Kenworth's update, Revolution Farm.

Tomorrow James Kenworth is coming to DMU's Cultural Exchanges Festival to talk about how he turned a classic into a modern-day phenomenon. Reviews have acclaimed his work as "a masterpiece", "a contemporary twist" and "a powerful update."   

 Kenworth is regularly commissioned as a playwright and has received grants from places like 'The Royal Docks trust'. He also lectures on Creative Writing and has both children and University students.


I think his talk is unmissable and it's even a free event.

 So book your tickets now for Wednesday 28th February from 6-7pm in the Clephan Building at De Montfort University.

You can book tickets from here.
And, did I mention, they're FREE!?


Josh Harwood