Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2019: Meet the brilliant new voices shortlisted for the Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright

There’s more to the buzz around a brilliant new playwright than a memorable evening at the theatre

Exciting new voices offer fresh perspectives on the world around us, making us sit up and pay attention to what they have to say.

The Charles Wintour Award for Most Promising Playwright has a long history of celebrating those writers, with past winners including Jez Butterworth, Lolita Chakrabarti, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Polly Stenham and Martin McDonagh.

The winner of this year’s award will be announced at the 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards, which take place on November 24. Here, meet the bright talents on this year’s shortlist.

Zoe Cooper

Out of Water, Orange Tree Theatre

(The Other Richard)

What inspired you to write Out of Water?

My wife works in education. She told me about an incident at school, when Stonewall came to give a talk about homophobic bullying. The school were very enthusiastic about the talk, but later that day a pregnant head of department warned the staff who had attended not to tell anyone that she herself was in a same-sex partnership. I could understand why a teacher would feel this way, especially a woman who might already feel vulnerable because she was pregnant, and especially given her senior position. I decided to write about a teacher who lies about the gender of her partner when she starts a new job, and then can’t find a way out of that lie. The consequences for her and her students.

What’s your best memory from the production at the Orange Tree?

Lots of the people involved in making the show were queer themselves, and so it was a lovely feeling to all be making a show together which centred some of our shared stories.  My best memories come from these collaborator’s contributions, a moment when an actor saw something of themselves in a character and in so doing helped me to see that character more clearly, or a stage manager questioned whether I had got the detail of the script right.  Like lots of other minorities, queer women and non-binary people in particular rarely get to see ourselves on stage or screen, and when we do it is even rarer that we get to see ourselves in the role of the protagonist. I felt really privileged to be telling the story with all of them.

Who are your biggest influences and inspirations?

I have really diverse tastes in terms of theatre and playwrights, some of my favourites are Lucy Kirkwood, David Grieg, Tom Wells, Winsome Pinnock, Caroline Horton, Alan Ayckbourn, Annie Baker. Maybe what they have in common is that they are all tender writers, who are united in trying to understand why their characters do what they do, with compassion.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen this year?

I was completely blown away by It’s True, It’s True, It’s True by Breach Theatre. The story was so urgent, so beautifully staged and the performances were three of the best I have seen all year. I also absolutely loved Charley Miles play, There Are No Beginnings at Leeds Playhouse and Danusia Samal’s Out of Sorts at Theatre503. All three plays tell really specific stories meticulously and again with compassion, and in doing so reveal bigger truths.

What would you like to write about next?

I want to write plays that are about the church, about women and poverty and pain, about elder care and the environment. I’ve got lots of ideas, and some of them feel like they belong on bigger stages. Historically those bigger stages have been dominated by the of work canonical writers, who are more often than not white and male. This, in turn, has created its own assumptions: that white male work is ‘bigger’, or that ‘bigger work’ looks like things that white men write. However, I am hopeful that this is changing and that I and other writers like me (and not like me!) will get the chance to occupy those stages more frequently soon! 

Yasmin Joseph

J’Ouvert, Theatre503

(Helen Murray)

What inspired you to write J’Ouvert?

J’Ouvert is the official start of Caribbean carnival at dawn, and when I moved to New York in 2015 for an internship at the New York Theatre Workshop, it was the night before Labor Day – the city’s annual West Indian Parade.  The sound of soca music outside my building made me instantly feel at home and let me know that my community was nearby, so I went out to explore. A year later in 2016, I learned of a woman called Tiarah Poyau, shot and killed during J’Ouvert celebrations in Brooklyn, for declining the advances of a man she didn’t want to dance with. I was really angry and thought a lot about what carnival means to me in this country, as a space to lay claim to my heritage, as a vital act of resistance and a way of pushing back against erasure. For me, black women are an integral part of the tradition, and I think J’Ouvert was my way of reconciling with how we’re mistreated in the spaces that we pioneer.

What’s your best memory from the production at the Theatre503?

Carnival itself is inherently theatrical, the energy is electric, literally millions of people pouring into the streets, dancing, releasing and presenting a heightened version of themselves. The audience felt like the final character in my play, the biggest test was how to effectively mirror this energy on stage. On the opening night I was terrified, but hearing the laughter, people singing, the nods and hums of agreement from elders, the call and response with people finishing off old Jamaican proverbs. I felt really proud and privileged to be documenting such a vital part of my history. Throughout the run it was generally just so special having chats with people after the show and hearing them say they felt celebrated and seen.

Who are your biggest influences and inspirations?

I draw inspiration from so many places and people. My family is full of storytellers, my best friends are riotous and some of the wittiest, sharpest women in the world. I listen to lots of music and can get ideas from anything from Headie One to Nina Simone. In terms of theatre artists, a uni tutor once highlighted that the way Arthur Miller uses language is really economical, nothing is wasted. That’s why A View From A Bridge is one of my favourite plays. Almost every line in isolation packs a punch. debbie tucker green inspires me to trust my audiences, she uses words in a way that feels so intentional and specific, she dares us to keep up. Some other great minds that have influenced me this year have been Rebekah Murrell, Ross Willis, Lisa Spirling, Lucy Morrison, Milli Bhatia, Jane Fallowfield, Leo Butler and Gill Greer.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen this year?

This question’s a bit impossible because there have been so many amazing shows – and also because I find it hard to remember stuff. Clean Break’s [BLANK] by Alice Birch had a profound impact on me. It was so harrowing and humane. It just felt like a visceral portrayal of our flawed criminal justice system and the women that this country continues to fail. I always say that her work finds me exactly when I need it.  It made me want to be a better human, it also reminded me how much I love my mum.  Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis was also incredible. I love work that pushes audiences to challenge their own concept of morality.

What would you like to write about next?

The things that scare me and the things that give me hope. Things that examine the human condition and make us think and laugh. Stories that are political, timely and centre the experiences of black people, particularly in this country. 

Jasmine Lee-Jones

seven methods of killing kylie jenner, Royal Court

(Helen Murray)

What inspired you to write seven methods of killing kylie jenner?

To be honest, all of the young black womxn I’ve grown up with. I was really fascinated by the spaces black womxn of my generation have carved out and curated on social media and how we have used the tangled web of the internet to create platforms to amplify our voices. Those two things combined made me want to write something with the onus on black womxn – particularly black womxn who are prominent on social media.  Having the opportunity to hold up a mirror to their lives as a dramatist and, in doing so, pay homage to them has been a tremendous privilege.

What’s your best memory from the production at the Royal Court?

There are too many to pick from! What I remember distinctly is the sensation of relief –  I went from a very intense, stressful period being at drama school and trying to stay up at night and write the play, to the warmth, calm and unity of our rehearsal room: it felt like stepping into heaven! There was a lot of laughter – it’s a very silly play so Milli Bhatia (the director) did an amazing job of making sure we had lots of space to be silly in rehearsal.  If I were to pick one memory from the production that was significant it would probably be when the young womxn from Treasure Tress’ Teen Experience came to watch the play – talking to them after and hearing how boldly they lived in their truths moved me to tears. Treasure Tress are such an incredible organisation that offers spaces for young black womxn to congregate and communicate – everyone spread the word about them!

Who are your biggest influences and inspirations?

I have loads! I love the African-American artist Carrie Mae Weems – the political act of her placing her body in her art has really influenced my practice as an artist – I always like to place myself in my work in some way or another. In terms of people in my medium I have to say Michaela Coel, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and debbie tucker green – they all have incredible voices and talents whilst simultaneously having massive artistic integrity and not compromising their visions or instincts. My parents put me on to a lot of fantastic irreverent comedy from the 80’s when I was younger like The Real McCoy and Oliver at Large, the latter of which starred Jamaican comic genius Oliver Samuels. Both of those shows’ ingenuity and bravery has profoundly influenced the way I view humour and risk-taking as an actor and writer. 

What’s the best thing you’ve seen this year?

This is cheating slightly because it’s not theatre but let’s just say I don’t believe in the hierarchy of mediums! I think the thing that’s moved me the most this year is Rocks at London Film Festival. It is a beautiful, beautiful film about coming-of-age and it’s the first time I’ve seen a young British Black woman of secondary school age represented authentically on the big screen. The film brought out raw, truthful performances from a cast of generous actors. What a feat! I think all creators should aim to achieve that level of authenticity and genuine ensemble in their work.

What would you like to write about next?

The next thing I write will be for myself to perform in. I’m in the process of researching, writing and developing stories that I feel connected to as both an actor and a writer. Speaking more generally, I’m keen to keep telling stories with black womxn as the protagonists and not necessarily in the ways we have been represented previously. While the confluence of our race and gender identity are factors in our lives and there should be space where those two factors are the centralised themes, I’m really interested in telling stories where our race and gender identities are leitmotifs and our images and experiences can exist as the default. I feel like a lot of the time, even when I see us depicted on stage or on screen, we are still being othered because the centrality of whiteness and maleness is still being implied in the work. I want to use my voice to counter that.

(Editor’s note: The term ‘womxn’ is used as alternative word for ‘woman’ or ‘women’ to explicitly include transgender women and women of colour)

Ross Willis

Wolfie, Theatre503

(Helen Murray)

What inspired you to write Wolfie?

I wanted to write about how life during and after the care system feels. How it affects your sense of self at your very core and how those feelings of loneliness and isolation affect your transition into adulthood. Formally I didn’t want Wolfie to feel domestic because I think there’s nothing domestic about the care system at all.

What’s your best memory from the production at the Theatre503?

I think anyone who watched the play on its own terms and just took it for what it was trying to do. Sometimes I find as an audience member it’s a surprisingly hard thing to do.

Who are your biggest influences and inspirations?

Dennis Kelly, Lisa Spirling, Lucy Morrison, Yasmin Joseph and Jules Haworth.

What’s the best thing you’ve seen this year?

Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu’s production of Little Baby Jesus.  It was a big f*** off maelstrom of electricity and fire which you felt in your bones. I hadn’t seen a director create something like that in a long time. He filled every moment with a sense of wit and play. His energy as an artist is incredible. I’m obsessed.  

What would you like to write about next?

I’m writing a play about queer history told through the eyes of STIs. Something which feels like Greek theatre featuring old beasts, myth, monsters and magic. 

The 65th Evening Standard Theatre Awards, in association with Michael Kors, take place on November 24.  standard.co.uk/theatreawards  #ESTheatreAwards

 

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