If the playwright is the most written about of all theatre practitioners, he or she is also, financially, the least underwritten. Despite the emergence of a Theatre Writers' Union during the 'seventies, the path for the novice writer into the profession remains as uncertain as ever, and security is tenuous even for the established dramatist. Christine Eccles has worked in the theatre both as a director and as a member of that elusive species, the playreader, and is currently reviewing for Time Out and Plays International. Here, she looks at the various ways in which a script may – or, more probably, may not – reach the stage, and at the few sources of financial support for the aspiring playwright. NTQ will be looking in depth at each of the major areas here outlined in future issues.