HighTide have confirmed the twelve writers who are making up the Playwright Crisis Support Programme as part of its Lighthouse Programme.
Forming as part of its ongoing Lighthouse programme to support artists during the pandemic, HighTide has revealed the names of the writers making up the Playwright Crisis Support Programme.
In addition to this, it has also been confirmed that due to having received over 100 scripts in their first submission window during the lockdown, HighTide has reopened the next submission period for their script-reading service! Writers have until Wednesday 3rd June to send in their scripts.
The Playwright Crisis Support Programme has been created to support a cohort of emerging playwrights over the next year; these are Travis Alabanza (Burgerz), Jack Bradfield (Art Heist), Sophie Ellerby (LIT), Kelly Jones (Comma), Kat Rose Martin (Jane Hair), Caitlin McEwan (Bible
John), Tonderai Munyevu (Mugabe, My Dad and Me), Michelle Sewell (Border Control), A.C. Smith (Lock & Key), Hayley Wareham (bottled), Martha Watson Allpress (Patricia Gets Ready(for a date with the man that used to hit her)), and John Webber (REAP).
Each writer will take part in a programme of bespoke support and training, with mentorship from a HighTide alumnus including Nick Payne (Constellations), Vinay Patel (An Adventure), Kenny Emson (Rust), Luke Barnes (Lost Boys), Anders Lustgarten (Lampedusa) and Morgan Lloyd
Malcolm (Emilia). This relationship with HighTide is intended to help these writers explore the future of theatre and the performance possibilities during a pandemic.
For the script-reading service, scripts are read by HighTide’s Associate Artists and, in an innovation to normal submission practices, playwrights are able to select the reader for their plays to help ensure artists from minority backgrounds have their work considered by truly diverse and representative world-class talent.
Artistic Director of HighTide, Suba Das commented: “As we have travelled through the evolving experience of this crisis, we at HighTide have been especially concerned that emerging freelance writers, and especially those from diverse or low-income backgrounds, have been isolated from
the conversation about what happens next to the creative industries in the UK. We’re proud that over one hundred and fifty writers and artists have engaged with our Lighthouse Programme to date and we hope
to now reach many more, doing as much as possible to demystify the challenges our sector now faces, and to ensure as many writers can keep working and making in our new landscape.”
To find out more about the script-reading visit: https://hightide.org.uk/lighthouse-programme/script-reading-service/. To join the Playwright’s Network, please email literary@hightide.org.uk