Featured Playwright

Gemma Lawrence
About Me: My debut play Sunnymead Court opened at the Tristan Bates Theatre in September 2020. It follows the story of two queer women who begin a relationship from the safety of their balconies during the first lockdown. It was nominated for an OFFIE for Best New Play and named as a 2020 hit show of the year by The Stage. The run sold out, transferred to the Arcola and then went out on a UK tour. My second play REWILD was longlisted for the Women's Prize for Playwriting 2021 and the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award 2023. My first TV pilot Ribbons placed in the top 10% in BBC Writer’s Room in 2023. My new play Clown Clown Baby, written as part of the Orange Tree's Writer Collective, with dramaturgy from Guy Jones and Ned Bennett, made it to the final 38 of 1,589 scripts in the Papatango Prize 2024 and placed in the top 9% for BBC Writers Room 2024.
Featured Play
Shitebag
Two words. That’s how they start for Annie – the bad thoughts. The worst. What if? Tonight might be Annie\\\\\\\'s last chance. She’s waiting at a stage door for The Singer. For a miracle. Yorke is on the run. Rival gang \\\'The Fear\\\' are closing in and time is running out. Then he sees a light in the dark – a stage door. A girl nearby. What if? She’s haunted. He’s hunted. Tonight, their lives rest with each other and a strange they’ve never met. A story of survival, shared ground, desperation, guilt, hope and home.

Playwright: Alan Muir