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FASS 2004: Doctor Zeus (Kim Lam, right) examines Dyna McLea-Allocade (Sibylle Heidelberger) as Phyllis Sophie (Steph Casselman) looks on.

Committee - Chief Script Writer

The Chief Script Writer is responsible for coordinating all activities related to the writing of the script -- from the initial brainstorming to the final polishing. Ironically, the job of CSW involves little writing; indeed, most of the writing is done by the writing staff. The job essentially involves ensuring that the efforts of a large number of people are consistently working towards the common goal of creating a high-quality script of reasonable length. More specifically, some of the tasks involved include:

• Recruiting a writing staff.
• Running a theme brainstorming meeting, and presenting possible theme ideas at the Annual General Meeting. (Note that the actual selection of the theme is done by the company as a whole.)
• Organizing and chairing writers' meetings.
• Determining timelines for the preparation of the script and setting intermediate deadlines for various tasks involved in the writing process (e.g. deadlines for brainstorming, first drafts, and various stages of the revision process).
• Developing a structure and broad outline of the script, and ensuring that writing is consistent with the overall plan.
• Liasing with the production staff to ensure that the script does not contain things that will be impossible to stage.
• Mediating disputes over the content of the script, and deciding between the various options presented when a consensus is not achieved.
• Soliciting feedback from the company, and incorporating suggestions where appropriate.
• Reporting to the President and Committee of FASS on a regular basis.
• Ensuring that the script contains enough rewarding roles that all members of the cast may be assigned one.
• Maintaining quality control and providing final approval to the script.