It’s the annual award backed by a global star that helps Royal Conservatoire of Scotland students see their creative ideas take flight.

Write Start: The Sam Heughan Creative Commission encourages students to create original and compelling new work and spark collaboration across art forms.

This year’s winner is Katherine Low, a second-year BA Filmmaking student, who will use the £5,000 Write Start funding to bring Through the Keyhole to life – an experimental short film that explores patriarchy, identity and internal conflict.

Angelique Celine, a second-year MA Music Psychology in the Arts student – who is also a graduate of BA Musical Theatre – receives the £1,000 runner-up prize with Measure of Man, a musical set in 1845 that centres on the complexities of immigration, identity and cultural assimilation in America.

Three finalists will each receive £500 for their projects:

• Bertha by Rachel Elizabeth Sullivan, MA Composition: a climate-conscious production of an original contemporary chamber opera.
• Nothing Pete by Christopher Alexander Ginesi, MFA Classical and Contemporary Text (Acting): a screenplay that tackles themes of redemption and human connection, via American folklore.
• In Good Faith by Alison Nicole Kertz-Brooks, MFA Classical and Contemporary Text (Acting: A play about two women who explore what accountability means to them and whether or not justice is possible.

Here, Katherine and Angelique share how it feels to take home the Write Start honours and offer an insight into the creative process.

Write Start winner

Katherine Low, BA Filmmaking

How does it feel to win Write Start?

Incredibly exciting – I’ve been passionate about this topic for many years now, so finally having the chance to bring it to life with this funding is amazing. Working on this project with the support and resources now available, is a brilliant opportunity I’m truly grateful for.

What inspired Through the Keyhole?

The main inspiration for Through the Keyhole is the photography of Deborah Turbeville. I came across her work a few years ago and found that it deeply resonated with me and inspired me.

Turbeville was a pioneer in the way she captured women. She portrayed women not in an objectifying manner, but in a hauntingly beautiful, innovative form that transformed the fashion industry.

Her photos made me reflect on how the male gaze operates in my life and what feminine identity means to me. I want to harness the feeling that Turbeville evokes through her unique visual style and utilise it as technique throughout the film.

As part of my research, I interviewed different women and asked them what they would do if they met the male version of themselves.

Each answer helped me develop my idea and it is important to me that woman’s voices and experiences directly shape this project.

How would you describe the film?

Through the Keyhole is an experimental short film that explores Margaret Atwood’s quote on the male gaze: “You are a woman with a man inside watching a woman.”

It follows a woman whose life begins to unravel as she becomes increasingly intruded upon by a distant male figure. This visual metaphor will explore how the male gaze isn’t just external, but a constant presence in our minds and how it disrupts self-identity and relationships.

I’ve always found the concept of voyeurism and gender in cinema fascinating. This film is a way for me to interrogate those ideas.

Through the Keyhole isn’t intended to be a definitive statement on the male gaze, but rather an exploration of the patriarchy, identity, and internal conflict. An exploration that will provoke questions and reflections about ourselves.

You’ll work with students across RCS to bring the film to life – can you tell us about them?

We haven’t confirmed the full team yet, but I can share that my producer is BA Filmmaking student Kasia Blotnicka. We’re really excited to work with students from different departments and especially for the nuances they’ll bring from their individual specialism.

Making this film will be an inherently experimental and collaborative process. They key roles in the crew will be filled out by women, bringing their own experiences of the male gaze into their work, allowing those perspectives to shape their creative contributions.

This project is – and will continue to be – driven by the voices, insights and lived experiences of women.

Will you screen the film once completed?

We’ll definitely hold a screening of the film to celebrate everyone involved. We’re exploring different options for how we might present it, as this could be a great opportunity to host a discussion afterwards and engage more deeply with the themes of the project.

How important is it to have access to funded initiatives like Write Start?

Initiatives like Write Start are vitally important. They give emerging artists the chance to create, especially art that is more unconventional. This funding gives us the freedom to take risks and create work that is purely artistic and not strained by contingencies.

Making this project within the RCS community is so empowering because there’s such a strong sense of collaboration here. It’s inspiring to be surrounded by people who are so passionate and willing to help bring ideas likes this to life.

Anything you’d like to say to Write Start founder, Sam Heughan?

A heartfelt thank you to Sam Heughan and RCS for initiating the start of this project. This support means so much—not just to me, but to everyone who will be working and creating this film.

Write Start runner-up

Angelique Celine, MA Psychology in the Arts (Music)

How does it feel to be the runner-up in Write Start?

Having originally come up with this musical at age 17, receiving support from Write Start feels as if the dreams I have been carrying for so long are finally becoming a reality. I feel very grateful to have been given the support and opportunity for this story to come to life.

What inspired Measure of Man?

I believe one of the biggest challenges that every person faces is the concept of identity. This musical explores the question: is success about changing ourselves to fit into society, or is it about staying true to who we really are, even if it means facing judgement and exclusion?

Having grown up in a multicultural family and moving to multiple countries, I had to learn at an early age who I was and how to remain true to myself. This musical challenges the audience to question how they too can be true to their identity, and hopefully, this story can help them find the courage to do so.

How would you describe it?

Set in 1845, this musical explores the complexities of immigration, identity and cultural assimilation in America. The story centres on the relationship between two siblings, Isla and Angus, who have emigrated from Scotland to New York City.

As they navigate the new world, Isla fights to be true to herself and her desires, and in doing so, falls in love with an escaped African American slave named Silas.

Angus, on the other hand, suppresses his identity and morals to achieve the American dream, amidst the cultural and financial hardships.

Through the siblings’ different perspectives of success, their relationship deteriorates, and the musical invites the audience to question which of the two siblings is successful?

Using pre-written Scottish traditional and early African American gospel music, the music aims to amplify the voices of Scottish immigrants and African Americans who lived through this tumultuous time in American history, highlighting that there are many definitions of what it means to be an ‘American’.

You’ll work with students across RCS to bring the musical to life – can you tell us about them?

Initial conversations and collaborations have taken place with students, including actors for script development workshops (Manasa Tagica, Matthew Baker-Grunza, Connor Fallen), and Steph Austin (director).

How important is it to have access to funded initiatives like Write Start?

Receiving support from initiatives such as Write Start, allows young creatives to have a chance at developing new projects. Not only is it impactful on a personal level, but it is also an enriching opportunity to help audiences connect with the story and message of the musical.

Anything you’d like to say to Write Start founder, Sam Heughan?

Thank you for believing in this project and for believing in my ability to bring it to life. I have been dreaming of developing this musical for many years and your support is a huge step in making this a realisation.