My name is Rebecca Holbourn and I am a Writer, Director and occasional Actor from London.
My focus began with writing, as many does, in a classroom. It was a time when I was being directly influenced by Discworld, Harry Potter and Doctor Who. Three great achievements of our time. For me, however, my first memory of writing a story I wanted to get just right, was inspired by “Mort” by Terry Pratchett.
I have always struggled with the writing of prose, of description to captivate and enchant, my interest always lay with the dialogue and once I realised this, many years later, I began to focus on writing for Stage and Screen.
During my years of discovering creative goals, I discovered a passion for guiding people through tasks and creating things together. I co-created a mini-theatrical group and each Christmas we’d put on a play for a few others. It was the start of my directing ambitions. After that, it was at college I had a first real taste of making a film in a crew. I went on to make a few films on my own and a few with some dear friends over the next few years. I was in a position to grow, but I needed that extra push.
A large part of thanks must go to the BFI’s Future Film Festival, which gave me guidance and encouragement, but above all gave me contacts and friends aplenty. I would be nowhere if I were not to mention my dear friend Thom Jackson-Wood, with whom, I have been able to write, direct and generally feel great about proceeding forwards in this industry.
For the last 7 years, I have taken part in the challenge “28(9) Plays Later” run by The Literal Challenge. An insane playwriting challenge to write a play a day for the whole of February. As each year passes, I have really seen how much I have grown as a writer and I owe Sebastian (and TLC) a great deal. It’s a pleasure to have joined their team and support writers through the challenges.
I’ve gone on to run a readthrough group called “Zoomthroughs” which meets at least twice a week on Zoom, reading short plays/films and excerpts of larger pieces. We have members from around the Globe, including the UK, USA, France, Denmark and Malaysia. Everyone is welcome!
It’s a tricky world to pass through, it’s even trickier to grow, but once you have people you can work with well, you’re on a roll. Just make sure that you never forget those people.
Where to find me officially online!
Twitter: @RHolbourn
Instagram: @RHolbourn
Facebook Like Page: Rebecca Holbourn