Next Act - the past and future of new writing for theatre was a one-day conference presented by The British Theatre Consortium with the Centre of Research in English at Manchester Metropolitan University and North West Playwrights.  

We considered two reports commissioned by Arts Council England:  Writ Large: New Writing on the English Stage 2003-9 by the British Theatre Consortium, and New Writing in Theatre: 2003-8, an assessment of new writing in smaller scale theatre in England by Dunton, Nelson and Shand.  Panels discussed:  the achievements and failures of the last decade for new theatre writing and the potential effects of funding cuts; how we might sustain women playwrights' presence and recognition; script development and development agencies; and the future for new writing in theatre.