The Famous for 15 Minutes playwrighting festival begins at Daylesford Theatre tonight.

Works by six writers will be featured during the annual Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society (BMDS) production – 'Chance Encounter' by Henry Godfrey, 'Cockroaches' by Owain Johnston-Barnes, 'I &Copy; You Brady McGrady' by Andrew Stoneham, 'Long Engagement' by Liz Jones, 'The Mason' by Kevin Comeau and 'The Slip' by Karenmary Penn.

Below they share the inspiration for their plays and their hopes to win the festival's grand prize, the coveted Golden Inkwell.

Andrew Stoneham

'I &Copy; You Brady McGrady' is a play about two convenience store clerks come into conflict with one another after realising they both harbour feelings for the same guy.

How did you come up with the idea for your play?

Truthfully I have no idea. I don't have an exact moment where or when this idea flooded into my head or why. I have a habit of crafting these characters in my head and then spending my time trying to create a story around them so I get them out of my head onto paper.

When did you write it?

I wrote the bulk of the script shortly after the New Year when I was living in upstate New York. I was trapped in my cousin's house after one too many snowstorms. Having exhausted my movie-watching skills I decided to write a script. I originally conceived it as a short film script but realised shortly after it worked better as a stage play. I think I wrote about 90 percent of it before hitting a creative block and it wasn't until two weeks before the script submission deadline that I figured out the final five pages – nothing like a little pressure to get the creative juices flowing.

What are some of the things that are revealed about the pair of store clerks?

Besides the obvious fact that they are both in love with Brady McGrady – although for very different reasons mind you – as the story unfolds we learn that each possesses their own unique viewpoint on men and on how one should go about obtaining such a man.

How did it feel to hear that your play had been accepted?

I was quite ecstatic. Getting accepted into Famous was definitely one of the goals I had set out to achieve this year.

Do you hope to win overall?

At the risk of sounding like a narcissistic writer, yes I do. Although the competition is extremely tough, the quality of scripts this year is exceptionally high.

Who are the actresses and do we get to see Brady McGrady?

We have a phenomenally talented cast. Paige Hallett, who is no stranger to the stage, plays the clean-cut and conservative clerk, Lavender. While her polar opposite, the sarcastic straight talking Bliss, is played by Raven Baksh. As for will the infamous Brady McGrady himself grace us with his presence, well I'm afraid you'll have to attend the show to find out.

Who is directing and producing the play?

Nicole Burgess is directing. She's been doing a fantastic job, I couldn't have asked for a better collaborator. The trustees of The BMDS Charitable Trust are producing the play they would be; Kevin Blee, Adrienne Hintz, and Philip McIntosh.

Is it how you imagined it would be played out?

No, not at all. But that's the beauty of seeing your work brought to life. Whether it is the director or actors, someone along the way brings something new to the table which you as the writer would have never conceived in a million years. What they bring is not only true to the character but it adds an extra layer. It doesn't get any better than that.

Kevin Comeau

'The Mason' is about a husband and wife who discover more about who they are and what values they hold most dear as they struggle with difficult choices in a collapsing Bermuda economy.

How did you come up with the idea for 'The Mason'?

Over the last six months I have been giving a lot of thought to the economic and social problems Bermuda is now facing, trying to figure out how these problems will affect different members of society and how they might react. While thinking about the lost jobs in the construction industry, the story began to write itself.

When did you write it?

I wrote the entire play while flying on a plane in February – that was the easy part. Then, over the next four months, I rewrote it about 150 times in the hope of finding and fixing all the flaws.

What are some of the things that are revealed about the couple as their economic life takes a downturn?

I hope the play reveals enough about this couple that the audience finds empathy with those that have to make very difficult decisions in order to survive, often where every alternative is horribly flawed.

How did it feel to hear that your play had been accepted?

I was thrilled.

Do you hope to win overall?

I have mixed feelings about winning. My wife, Karenmary Penn, is a wonderful writer. I have had the pleasure of reading her play and it is clearly better than mine. It makes you laugh and then it makes you cry – a wonderful combination. Mine just starts out slowly and then fizzles out altogether. But I have a wonderful cast, and I have it on good authority that the judge has a drinking problem, so who knows what might happen.

Who is directing and producing the play?

Deborah Smith-Joell

Is it how you imagined it would be played out?

I have been travelling with my family for the last three weeks and haven't seen the play. I was, however, thrilled that I have a wonderful director and three excellent actors, and I am looking forward to seeing the play.

Karenmary Penn

'The Slip' is about a late night convenience store robbery that goes terribly wrong.

How did you come up with the idea for 'The Slip'?

I began writing the play while en route to a funeral for a friend's mother, a woman with very advanced dementia. The rest of it probably came out of Bermuda's increasing problems with gun violence.

When did you write it?

Started it on an airplane. I kept working on it after returning to Bermuda.

I can think of all sorts of things that can go wrong with a robbery, but can you name one or two please?

The convenience store stick-up guy is kind of trigger-happy. Does this help?

Although you are no Famous for 15 newcomer, how did it feel to hear that this play had been accepted?

It felt great! I have enjoyed the experience tremendously in the past, and am already enjoying it this time around too. It's really something to see the actors and directors breathe life into these plays. I recommend that anyone who has an idea for a play to write it, enter it the next time around, and see what shakes out.

Do you hope to win the Golden Inkwell this time?

Of course! But my husband also has a play entered so I am rooting for him too.

Is it how you imagined it would be played out?

I've only seen one rehearsal and it was quite early on but couldn't be happier with the actors in my play. They all bring their personalities and talents to the roles and it's a lot of fun to watch. They put a lot of work into these plays.

¦ The slip is being directed by Jenn Stervinou.

Owain Johnston-Barnes

'Cockroaches' is a post-apocalyptic un-romantic comedy. A man and a woman have miraculously survived the apocalypse. Unfortunately for the future of humanity, they're already divorced.

How did you come up with the idea for 'Cockroaches'?

I started writing Cockroaches last summer, but the idea had been floating in my head for a bit before than. When I started writing it, the couple were actually still married, so they got a divorce part of the way through the writing process. The idea was originally that they were stranded in an avalanche and just slowly irritating each other until she asked for a divorce, but it turned out to be a bit of a buzzkill. It was funny, then wham. Divorce. It just didn't work.

And the idea for the title?

The title came from the fact that cockroaches are something we think about as basically indestructible. They can survive anything. And I think people who are getting married think the same way about their marriages. A few years later they may not feel the same way. Here we have a case where not even the cockroaches survived. And no, in this play, the future of the human race doesn't look so great. After letting it gather dust for a while, It clicked in my head that they were divorced and suddenly, I realised exactly what I was writing about. I had a manic sprint of rewriting in the late spring, and tossed it out there.

I know this isn't your first time entering, but how did it feel to hear that your play had been accepted?

It is always a pleasant surprise to hear I'm in the running for anything. I didn't break out into song and dance like I did last time I made the final six, but I still had to make some giddy phone calls to my flatmate and my mom.

Do you hope to win the 2008 Golden Inkwell again?

Do I want to win again? Of course. Do I think I will? Nope. Of course, I had no idea I was going to win in 2008 either, so I'm not exactly the best judge of my own work. I've also hedged by bets by acting in 'A Chance Encounter'. So even if 'Cockroaches' doesn't get my name on the Inkwell again I might still be involved with a winner.

Who are the actor and actress?

I haven't seen any of the rehearsals yet. In my theatre experience, the best thing to do is leave as much as you can in the hands of the director, and so the first time I see it will be the dress rehearsal. Things almost never wind up being exactly how I pictured them in my head, but that isn't always a bad thing. Sometimes, the director or the cast see something that you didn't even know was there and bring it to life. Hell, I wrote 'Inter-Mortem', the 2008 show, as a two-man show but had an all-female cast. And it was awesome.

¦ Liz Knight is directing.

Liz Jones

'The Long Engagement' is a domestic comedy during which parents and student daughter vie with the other for centre stage.

How did you come up with the idea for 'The Long Engagement'?

My father definitely inspired it. He was always more interested in people's political inconsistencies than in their emotional ones. He had strong ethical positions and loved to uphold them in whatever social context he found himself. That could get him into trouble sometimes. But like my character, Ken, he couldn't bear emotional confrontation, not realising that avoiding it often made it more inevitable. He was in fact a successful drama lecturer (many of his students were accepted into drama schools) and a member of a local drama society.

Just in case you're wondering, the play's not about what happened when I got engaged! A hippy I met at university in the early 1970s also inspired it. He was so conformist he made me laugh.

When did you write it?

Nearly two years ago.

I know you have been writing and editing for years, so how did it feel to hear that your play had been accepted?

Very surprised and very pleased. I have done very little playwriting. I once tried adapting a scene from a novel into a 15-minute play but I realised I wasn't paying any attention to theatre, I was just reproducing dialogue. The Famous for 15 Minutes is my favourite annual BMDS event. I love the variety it offers and seeing how the director and actors make the scripts come alive. So it's great to be a part of that.

What are some of the things that are revealed about the family in this play?

As in many families, the characters are maddening, selfish, perverse and unable to listen to each other. But at the end of the day, they love each other. However, maybe Mike Hind, the director, will have other ideas!

When watching the actors – is it how you imagined it would be played out?

I haven't watched it yet, other than the very first run through, which seemed very promising. But I have talked to Mike about it and he has great ideas. In fact he sees things in the play I haven't thought of. It most likely won't be how I imagine, but that's the magic of theatre.

Do you hope to win the Golden Inkwell?

If I do, I'll be delighted – who wouldn't be? But I certainly won't be upset if I don't. The whole experience has been great fun. And from what I've seen of the other plays, we're in for great entertainment.

Henry Godfrey

'Chance Encounter' features and attractive Russian woman and an English businessman who meet through an incident at their hotel in Rome. They meet again, unexpectedly, the following day at a café. They talk causally.

She is coming to terms with the death of her husband. He is selling computer software. His casual questions become more searching and her answers more revealing. Did they meet by chance or was it planned?

How did you come up with the idea for 'Chance Encounter'?

I cannot be specific. Probably my first thought was, what if a couple meet by chance. What would they discuss? How would the relationship develop? When I wrote the first few lines I had no idea how it would end.

When did you write it?

Several years ago, but I was not comfortable with the beginning, so it got shelved. Then one day out of the blue I came up with a different approach.

What are some of the things that are revealed about the Russian woman?

She talks of the deteriorating relationship with her husband, how he died and the effect on her children.

How did it feel to hear that your play had been accepted?

I was very happy as I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two experiences.

Do you hope to win overall?

To be honest I do not want to win. For me the most exciting part is for the play to be staged, and to see how the director and performers interpret the characters.

Who is the actor and actress in 'Chance Encounter'?

Carol Birch and Owain Johnston-Barnes, with a non speaking part by Don Joliffe.

Who is directing and producing the play?

Bob Duffy.

When watching them – is it how you imagined it would be played out?

I have been on vacation so have not seen any of the rehearsals. Hopefully will see Tuesday.

Famous for 15 Minutes opens tonight and runs until August 21. There is no performance on August 15. Tickets $25 – $75 for the gala night – are available on www.bmds.bm, at the BMDS box office or by telephoning 292-0848. Curtain time is 8 p.m.