Tour the Writer

Posted on: May 19th, 2023 by ppEditor

Tour the Writer is a multi-year writer development programme, established by Paines Plough in partnership with leading theatres across the country.

This project exists to create a local, regional and national network of writers and storytellers, whilst offering ongoing support, development and mentoring from Paines Plough and our partner venues.

Our partner venues are:

The project kicked off in 2023 with Open Writer’s Labs at each venue, giving budding writers the opportunity to meet the team, connect with each other, and begin their development journey. This was followed by one-to-one meetings between venues and writers (called ‘Talk to Us’), and two online masterclasses on ‘Structure’ and ‘Demystifying the Industry’, with panellists Katie Posner, Gillian Greer, Nathan Queeley-Dennis, Chloë Moss, Aisha Zia, Mike Bartlett and Charlie Josephine.

Year Two

2024 marked Year 2 of the project, taking 72 mentored writers to continue their journey and to develop their ideas with our partner organisations and dramaturgs.

Bradford:
Daniel Bernard, Carolyn Eden, Claire Eden, Amber Hafren, Michael James, Nick Maynard, Marina Poppa, John Quinn, Richard D Rhodes, Jan Ruppe-Rahman, Tahir Shah, Laura Strickland, Marie Williamson.

Colchester (Mercury Playwrights in association with Tour the Writer):
Emma Bernard, Sue Bevan, Tassa Deparis, Daniel Hallisey, Giannini Hemmings, Eleanor Hyde, Ed Ismail, Fiona Padfield, Ben SantaMaria, Benjamin Wilkinson.

Coventry (Belgrade Theatre):
Sara Amanda, Linzi Doyle, Matthew Gabrielli, Sam Holley-Horseman, Paul Tafaro, Alisha Kadir, Ryan Leder, Katy Lynam, Roe McDonnell.

Cumbria (Theatre by the Lake, Keswick):
Sophia Atcha, Nina Berry, Beth Broomby, Lekhani Chirwa, Eireann Devlin, Daneka Etchells, Karen Featherstone, Grace Kirby, Eve Pereira, Rachel Price, Hannah Roze-Lewis, Sally Ann Staunton, Hannah Stratton.

Landmark Theatres – North Devon & Peterborough:
Michele Borsten, Charlie Essayan, Lore Green, Lori Hilson, Kayleigh Mai Hinsley, Carron Holmes, Nayomie James, Selina Keedwell, Louise Lecky-Thompson, Susan Luciani, Jessy Roberts, Nathan Rodney-Jones, Lucy Roslyn, Anne Rouse, Ysella Sims, Emily Swettenham, Sam Turton.

Plymouth (Theatre Royal Plymouth):
Hattie Collins, Jon Nash, Roni Neale, Rosie Race, Fynn Roberts, Jane Spurr.

Tour the Writer has been generously supported by the Noel Coward Foundation in Year 2 and the Garrick Charitable Trust in Year 3.

The Women’s Prize for Playwriting

Posted on: April 7th, 2021 by ppAdmin

The Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2025

Submissions will open for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2025 on Monday 13 January and close on Tuesday 22 April 2025.

The First Prize will be £20,000: the biggest prize fund so far, and with Sheffield Theatres coming on board as the new Theatre Partner. Created with Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres, Elizabeth Newman, this partnership will mean that Sheffield Theatres has the first right of refusal to co-produce the world premiere of the prize’s winning play, alongside Ellie Keel Productions and Paines Plough.

The 2025 Judging Panel will be chaired by the incoming Director and Co-Chief Executive of the National Theatre, Indhu Rubasingham, with the panel also including:

Click here to visit the Women’s Prize for Playwriting’s website and find out more.

Writers on Attachment

Posted on: January 28th, 2021 by ppAdmin

Playwright Fellowship

Our Playwright Fellowship is awarded annually to a writer of exceptional promise. The Fellowship invites the writer to spend nine months on attachment to Paines Plough, where we design a bespoke programme to tailor the attachment to their specific needs, ambitions and circumstances.

The Fellow receives a bursary and a desk at Paines Plough, as well as mentorship from our Artistic Directors and Team PP.

We offer the writers new and interesting experiences to develop their craft, like participating in Sala Beckett’s annual Obrador d’estiu in Barcelona, immersing themselves in international work at the Dublin Theatre Festival and Edinburgh International Festival, and meeting some of their playwright heroes.