Hearing My Script Come to Life at the London Screenwriter’s Festival

Writing is, by nature, a solitary process. We create characters, shape their voices, and imagine exactly how they’ll move and interact in the worlds we build. But no matter how vividly we see these moments in our heads, there’s no substitute for watching professional actors bring them to life.

At this year’s London Screenwriter’s Festival, I had the opportunity to take part in the Actors Table Read, where a scene from my script The Boob Group was performed by an incredible group of actors, Rebecca Crankshaw, Andrea Bellometti, Anne-Sophie Marie, and Gareth Turkington, under the direction of Lucy Linger. The experience was transformative. Not just in hearing my words performed, but in the deeper understanding it gave me of my own writing.

Bringing the Script to Life

The scene selected for the table read follows Matt, a man awaiting a breast cancer diagnosis, who finds himself in an environment that feels wholly unfamiliar. Expecting an easy all-clear, he struggles with his own discomfort until Pip, an older, more seasoned patient, tries to put him at ease. When Pip is called in for her appointment, Matt finds himself unexpectedly drawn into conversation with Sophie, a young woman facing her own diagnosis alone. The exchange between them is brief, and the emotional shift, from Matt’s initial avoidance to his eventual decision to offer support, needed to feel natural and earned in a short space of time.

Seeing the scene performed gave me the perspective I’d been missing on the page. How much could be conveyed through silence. How small shifts in delivery could change the entire tone of a moment. How a scene I had imagined playing out one way could work just as well, if not better, when interpreted differently.

Lucy was incredibly skilled at workshopping the material, breaking down the scene to explore different angles and emotional beats. She encouraged me to think carefully about the clarity of my characters’ motivations, not just in this scene, but in the script as a whole. If an actor or director is interpreting a character in a way I hadn’t intended, is that a flaw in their reading, or is it a sign that I need to make their journey clearer from the outset?

Lessons from the Table Read

One of the most striking moments of the session was seeing how many different ways Pip could be played. In one take, she was warm and reassuring. In another, distant and clinical. A slight shift in performance, and Lucy even experimented with her coming across as flirtatious! It was a reminder that while the words on the page remain the same, the way they’re delivered can entirely reshape a scene.

Similarly, watching Andrea play Sophie gave me a new perspective on the pacing of the scene. She intuitively slowed down her delivery, making Sophie’s nervousness more tangible, which, in turn, created more space for awkwardness between her and Matt. It was a detail I hadn’t fully considered when writing, but seeing it performed made me realise how essential that breathing room was.

And then there was Gareth as Matt, so consistent, so grounded in every take. His performance made it clear how much depth can be brought to a role when an actor truly understands the headspace a character is in. It reinforced something I’ve always felt about screenwriting: the success of a scene isn’t just about the words themselves, but about creating the right foundation for actors and directors to build on.

Why the London Screenwriter’s Festival Matters

The Actors Table Read was just one of the many opportunities in the run up to and at the festival, but its impact for me was huge. It challenged me to see my work differently and gave me a clearer sense of what’s working, and what still needs refining. But more than that, it reminded me why being in the room is so important.

As a working-class writer, it’s easy to feel like you’re on the outside looking in. To wonder whether your voice belongs in an industry that can sometimes feel closed off. But the generosity, support, and insight from everyone involved in this session reaffirmed something I needed to hear: there is space for my stories. There is space for me.

Beyond the table reads, the festival offers countless opportunities to push yourself further. Pitchfest, for example, gives writers the chance to sit down with agents, producers, and execs, the people who have the power to take scripts forward. And this experience has given me the confidence to put myself forward to try. It’s daunting, of course. But if this table read taught me anything, it’s that stepping out of your comfort zone is where the real growth happens.

I left the session feeling more confident in my writing, more assured in my voice, and more certain than ever that festivals like this are invaluable for writers at any stage of their careers.

If you ever get the chance to be in that room, take it. It’s worth every moment.