Bristol Old Vic Reveals Cohort Of Writers For The Second Year Of Early Career Writers Support

Bristol Old Vic's re-energised Literary Department announced the second year of participants in the theatre's Early Career Writers initiative – a free-to-access programme of support for writers based in the South West hosted by Bristol Old Vic and led by local playwright Ross Willis (Wolfie, Wonder Boy) to support those at the very beginning of their career to take bold next steps with their practice.  

Alex MJ Smith, Alice McKee, Rayan Philip, Deanna Rodger and Mercedes White join the scheme and are working with Bristol Old Vic until September 2026. 

Tanya Follett, Literary Producer at Bristol Old Vic said: "We started this group because we recognised a need in the region to offer free encouragement and development to early career writers. We are excited to continue to build relationships with new voices across the south west and we look forward to welcoming these five wonderful writers into the building this year." 

Programme lead Ross Willis said: "It was amazing to run the first group last year. The best thing about being a part of it is hearing each writer bring their own unique voice and ideas to the table. We can't wait to get started again!"

THE WRITERS:

Alex MJ Smith is a writer of comedy, drama, and games, based in Cornwall. An alumnus of the BBC Writers and 4 New Writers TV writing schemes, he has written for BBC Radio 4 and the Minack Theatre. His projects often use dark humour and genre to frame authentic explorations of mental health, invisible illness, grief, and/or goblins.

“I'm so excited and grateful for the opportunity to develop my playwriting practice with this support from Bristol Old Vic, alongside other local playwrights. I can't wait to see what we all create.”

Alice McKee is a writer and documentary-maker. Their play 'Perverts' was nominated for Best New Play at the Off West End Awards. They were selected as one of Channel 4's New Writers in 2023.

"It's very cool to have my work supported by my local theatre and I'm excited to spend even more time lurking around Bristol Old Vic."

Ayan Philip is a British-Indian writer and actor, born in Kerala and raised in Bournemouth. He graduated from the Oxford School of Drama in 2023. His debut play, Dead Internet, was originally developed at Kiln Theatre, commissioned for further development by Tara Theatre, and recently underwent R&D at Riverside Studios. As an actor, Ayan can soon be seen in Grantchester Season 10 (ITV / PBS / Kudos), and made his professional stage debut at The New Vic Theatre in 2025.

“I'm thrilled to be joining the Bristol Old Vic community, to experiment, take risks and grow alongside the cohort, and develop my writing practice at a theatre with such a strong commitment to new voices.”

Deanna Rodger writes to shift perspectives. Her poetry has been welcomed across the world incl. Mexico, Sudan, and Lebanon, and commissions include; Adidas, FIFA, St Paul's Cathedral, Emergency Exit Arts, Nationwide, Young Vic, Unicorn Theatre and Amnesty International.  

“Wow! Yes! let's go! As a poet, I am preoccupied with the impact words have through their meaning, sound, and interpretation and the power they have to bind us together, align us or create turmoil. I'm at a point where my poetry is bursting out of itself and will thrive in this learning environment where risks are possible.”

Mercedes White is a Gloucester-born creative with background in theatre, music and poetry. The fusion of the three allows her to approach storytelling in an immersive way, often highlighting themes of love, life and identity through her lens of the British-Caribbean experience.

“It's like when you find an old diary from your younger self saying what she dreams of being when she's older and you're reading it as well as sitting in it, it's all very surreal. I've been wondering if an opportunity to return to theatre and writing would find me, so something this special as a reintroduction is an honour. I'm just ready to soak it all in and see where the flow takes me!”

Alongside the Five Year Commitment and the Early Career Writers Group, BOV's Literary Department continues a year-round programme of work that includes the commissioning and development of new work for both stages at Bristol Old Vic.  

Artists interested in working with Bristol Old Vic are encouraged to utilise the theatres Open Submissions platform, through which the Theatre's team regularly reviews requests for project support, invitations to work, programming enquiries and artist introductions. 

The Literary Department is also continuing with its long-standing initiatives aimed at supporting and connecting with the widest number of artists from the South West and across the country. The Artist Forum continues in 2026. This is Bristol Old Vic's free programme of support open to all artists which offers workshops, meet ups and offers that allow people to connect with each other and engage with Bristol Old Vic's work. Any artist can sign up; see here for CONTACT DETAILS.