Finalists and Panel Announced For 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award
Finalists were chosen from 1,719 scripts sent in from 45 countries.
Five outstanding new writers from the UK, Australia and the US are the finalists for the 2020 Theatre503 International Playwriting. Ayad Andrews, Gina Stevensen, Pravin Wilkins, Safaa Benson-Effiom and Zoe Ashford Cooper were chosen from 1,719 scripts sent in from 45 countries.
Selected by a panel chaired by Erica Whyman (Chair of Theatre503 and Deputy Artistic Director, RSC) with Caro Newling, Daniel Evans, Lisa Spirling, Sam Marlowe, Roy Williams and Vinay Patel, the Award winner will be announced in a special online ceremony on Thursday 19 November.
The winner will receive £6,000 and a world premiere production at Theatre503 after a year's support and development, with their play published by Samuel French Ltd, a Concord Theatricals company. They will follow Paul Murphy (Valhalla) and Bea Roberts (And Then Come The Nightjars) - joint winners in 2014, Andrew Thompson (In Event of Moone Disaster, 2016) and Danusia Samal (Out of Sorts, 2018).
Lisa Spirling, Artistic Director: 'We all know how tough this year has been for everyone. It's been a rollercoaster for Theatre503, from fighting for our survival to finding ways to support our incredible freelance community to launching the online 503Studio. Throughout, the team and our wonderful readers have been reading every script submitted for the Award. Never before has it been so important to identify, to hold, and to elevate these diverse new voices, and launch them into the industry.'
The Theatre503 International Playwriting Award was established in 2014 and is an unprecedented opportunity for emerging playwrights to be recognised for writing an outstanding, original piece of work for the stage. It builds upon the foundation of the venue's reputation for engaging with the next generation of playwrights. This award has been made possible by the generous support of The Carne Trust, and new publishing partners Samuel French Ltd, a Concord Theatricals company.
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