Teaching, Mentoring & Community Work
Playwright-in-residence - Mulberry School for Girls, 2007-present
Residency in an east London school as part of their Specialist Arts program. Projects include after-school playwrighting classes for Years 10-13, a staff playwrighting course, and writing a new play for Mulberry students to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival each summer (Mehndi Night, 2007 and Stolen Secrets, 2008)
Writing for Specific Audiences - MA Writing for Performance, Goldsmiths College, 2007-present
A postgraduate-level module examining methods of creating performance texts for young people aged 13-18, either as audience members or to perform themselves. Students undertake independent research into a youth group or subculture in a geographical location of their choice, and work towards writing a 20-minute text for performance.
Research and Performance - MA Writing for Performance, Goldsmiths College, 2006-present
A postgraduate-level module examining the relationship between documentary research and creating original text for performance, drawing on my own professional experience as an investigative playwright. Students undertake independent research into a subject of their choice, and work towards writing a 20-minute text for performance. Includes issues of ethics and authenticity.
WRITE! workshops – Almeida Theatre, 2006
Series of intensive one-day playwrighting workshops for adult beginners on the shortlist of the Almeida’s WRITE! competition.
Evolution Lab – Almeida Theatre, 2005
A Creative Partnerships project between Almeida Theatre and Islington Arts & Media School using playwrighting techniques to investigate the life and theories of Charles Darwin with two Year 11 Science classes.
Babes – All Change Arts - 2005
Short film in verse made with teenage mums in north London exploring their experiences and empowering them to answer back to media stereotyping. The film won a First Light Award for Best Documentary.
Beyond Care – Theatre & Beyond / Hampshire Social Services - 2005
Theatre-making project with 15-17 year olds looked after by Hampshire Social Services. The group were treated like a mini-theatre company for 6 weeks and worked with me, a director, designer and technicians on contributing ideas to an original script, then rehearsing and performing the play. They also designed the set, sound and lights for a full production of Lost & Found at the Tower Arts Centre, Winchester . (Script available upon request).
East End Tales – Half Moon Young People’s Theatre / Mulberry School, 2005
Similar to the above, working with a group of Bangladeshi girls from Tower Hamlets to create a full-scale production of an original new play about life in London’s East End . (Script available upon request).
Mulberry School 40th Anniversary, 2005
Commission to research, write and rehearse a play about the history of Mulberry School for their 40 th anniversary. (Script available upon request).
Deptford Green Playwrighting Club, 2005
Eight week after-school playwrighting club for gifted & talented students at Deptford Green School . Culminated in rehearsed readings at Deptford Albany.
Festen – Almeida Theatre, 2004
Ten-week GCSE playwrighting project for Year 10 Drama students at Islington Green School . Involved using the Almeida production of Festen as a starting point for a new play by the students, which was performed by professional actors on top of the existing Festen set on the Almeida main stage.
Soho Theatre Young Writers, 2003
Ten-week playwrighting course for 14-18 year olds at Soho Theatre, culminating in rehearsed readings on Soho ’s main stage. Also, working as mentor to three older writers producing their first full-length play over the course of one year.
Ongoing - Freelance
Visiting drama lecturer at Goldsmiths College, Brunel University, Royal Holloway and Boston University.
Referees for all of the above are available upon request.
For more info on these and other courses offered at secondary, FE, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, please click here |