About me

Maria Messias Mendes is a playwright, screenwriter and academic.

Quarter-finalist for Hollywood’s PAGE Screenwriting Award.
Top 12% BBC Writers Room.
Her play 'and the stench of flowers fills the air' received an Arts Council Project Grant 30k (+10k in kind) and was produced by Carmen Collective, with support of Cardboard Citizens, HighRise and the Young Vic.

Her work has been performed at various venues, such as Omnibus Theatre, Cambridge Junction and London Performance Studios.

Currently lecturing 'Theatre Practice and Production' at the University of Cambridge.

Distinction in MA Writing for Performance (University of Cambridge) and BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing (Queen Mary University of London). Mercury Creative and alumni of Mercury Theatre and Cambridge Junction Writing Labs.

Particularly interested in work particularly interested in work that open conversations that cross borders. Having come from a migrant (Zimbabwean-Portuguese) family and being a migrant herself, the meeting of cultures has been central to her experience and survival. Therefore, for her, an urgent question is how we tell stories that cross boundaries, languages, forms and genres to better reflect complex realities and identities.

My Plays

and the stench of flowers fills the air


Synopsis:

and the stench of flowers fills the air is a piece of political theatre that explores how social inequality leads to the breakdown of community. As cost of living worsens, racism rises and gentrification makes housing unstable, loss of life ripples through our city. London, a city known for affluence, progressiveness and diversity is also hosts extreme economic divides.
This play uses lyricism inspired by rap, inviting audiences to experience these stories emotionally, rather than solely intellectually. and the stench of flowers highlights our shared responsibility for any injustices in our communities.


Number of Characters: 6


Minimum Number of Actors Required: 6


Length (in Pages): 76


Location: London


Key Words: poverty; London; street violence; lyricism


Has the Play Been Produced? No


Are the Rights Available? No


Has the Play Been Published? No


Award nominations/wins: 30k Arts Council Grant for R&D


Reviews:

Stroking Bumblebees


Synopsis:

Childhood friends Zana and Tai reconnect with each other and the world around them and discover that their past is not what they thought it was. Decades before, Rio embarks on a long journey to find hope in the girl of her visions. This magical realist play explores loneliness and connection and how this dynamic relates to our relationship with our environment. How do we build a better present and future through connection, even when we might feel at our most disconnected and hopeless?


Number of Characters: 6


Minimum Number of Actors Required: 4


Length (in Pages): 69


Location: By a river


Key Words: magical realism; loneliness; connection; climate crisis; eco-dramaturgy


Has the Play Been Produced? No


Are the Rights Available? Yes


Has the Play Been Published? No


Award nominations/wins:


Reviews:

Location

London/ Cambridge

Contact