Featured Playwright
Alexandra Donnachie
About Me: I've been working professionally as an actor-writer and theatre maker for over a decade and in that time, I've appeared in numerous stage productions, including Atomic 50 (Blackhorse Workshop), The Arrest of Ai Wei Wei (Hampstead Theatre) and The Good Neighbour (Battersea Arts Centre). I'm currently a Head Puppeteer for Joey and Topthorn in the National Theatre's UK & Ireland Tour of War Horse. In addition to stage work, I played Sylvia Pankhurst in the BAFTA Award winning The Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley (BBC One) and I've appeared in numerous audio dramas for Big Finish and Audible. I play series regular, Jacqueline 'Jackie' Tate in the Dark Shadows audio drama series. I have also written an episode for Series 3 which is due for release later this year. My writer-performer credits include: 3 Years, 1 Week and a Lemon Drizzle (UK Tour, Edinburgh Fringe 2018); twenty-eight (DEM Productions: Theatre 503) and When We Died (Carbon Theatre: UK & European Tour) which has gone on to be nominated for (and win!) numerous awards since it premiered at the 2020 VAULT Festival.
Featured Play
How To Date
‘How To Date’ is a dark comedy play exploring naivety and inequalities faced by young women in London. The play follows the lives of roommates Clarissa and Emily over several years. We see their friendship shift as they encounter misogynistic men, sexual harassment and toxic relationships. Clarissa is forced to take on a new job after an incident causing her to go viral online. Battling her own mental health struggles, she results to alcohol and dating apps. Her life continues to spiral out of control but Emily is too busy being loved up in a new relationship to notice. Will they support each other or will their friendship die forever? A dark comedy at its core, How To Date combines humour with a sobering exploration of the treatment of women in society. The story is inspired by Stephanie’s own experiences growing up and aims to raise awareness for other young women.
Playwright: Stephanie Elizabeth McNeil