Two Bristol playwrights shortlisted for prestigious prize

Pictured above: the 2017 Bruntwood Prize nominees. Top left to bottom right: Alan McKendrick, Archie Maddox, Daniel Foxsmith, Joshua Val Martin, Kevin Doyle, Laurie Nunn, Rebecca Callard,
Sharon Clark, Tim Foley and Timothy X Atack. Pic: The Other Richard

The prestigious Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting recently announced its 2017 shortlist – and the ten-strong list features two Bristol playwrights.

The ten shortlisted scripts were selected from 1,898 original plays that were submitted to the Prize this year. Each playwright enters their play under a pseudonym, creating an equal opportunity for writers of any background and experience to enter. The final ten are then judged and debated by a prestigious panel of top industry figures.

The biennial Prize – a partnership between the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and family-owned property company Bruntwood – highlights the importance of new writing for theatre and the value of nurturing playwrights and their craft.

The total prize fund is £40,000 and each of the winners will enter into a development process with the Royal Exchange Theatre. Previous Prize winners include Poldark actor Luke Norris and playwright Duncan MacMillan, whose much-praised People, Places and Things plays at Bristol Old Vic this week (Oct 24-28).

This year’s Bristol entrants include Sharon Clark, Creative Director of Bristol-based immersive theatre company Raucous (see our review of their current production Ice Road here, and read our interview with Sharon here) and a lecturer at Bath Spa University.

Sharon Clark

Sharon’s previous works have been produced by Bristol Old Vic, Theatre 503, New Diorama and Arcola. Sharon’s Bruntwood entry Plow (read under the title of Over the Hill There’s Something Better to protect her anonymity) follows an African-American woman as she walks across the US on a pilgrimage to where her husband and son died. Through social media, she is slowly turned into a modern day Messiah.

Then comes Timothy X Atack, an award-winning writer, composer and sound designer who founded the multidisciplinary artist collective Sleepdogs.

Timothy X Atack

Tim’s past plays have been successfully adapted for BBC Radio 4 and he is a visiting tutor of sound design for theatre at Bristol University. Tim’s Bruntwood-shortlisted play Heartworm follows a couple as they rent out their spare room to an odd guest.

Sarah Frankcom, artistic director of the Royal Exchange Theatre, said: “It is fantastic to be able to celebrate the success of these 10 shortlisted writers. The standard of entries for the Bruntwood Prize is consistently high, this year we had close to 2000 entries and via a rigorous reading process these ten plays stood out and now we have a very exciting shortlist for this year’s final.”

The award ceremony will take place on November 13 at the Royal Exchange Theatre.

For full details of the Prize, plus a series of free workshops and video tutorials from theatre industry experts, visit writeaplay.co.uk

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