Sphinx Theatre Announces Partnerships With Leading Theatres For 30th Anniversary

Sphinx Theatre, the UK's longest established women's theatre company, has announced the first group of partnerships with leading theatres as part of Sphinx 30, a major new writing programme for female playwrights to mark the company's 30th anniversary.

As part of stage two of Sphinx 30, Sphinx Theatre will be partnering with 15 national theatres and theatre companies to provide support and development for female playwrights.

The first partnerships to be announced are: Derby Theatre, Graeae Theatre Company, Hull Truck Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Nottingham Playhouse, Red Ladder Theatre Company, Salisbury Playhouse, Stephen Joseph Theatre and Yellow Earth Theatre.

The second group of partnerships will be announced shortly.

As part of stage two of Sphinx 30, each theatre will nominate and help support one female playwright to take part in the Sphinx Lab, a pilot development programme for female playwrights in the UK. The lab has been designed by Sphinx's Literary Director Jennifer Tuckett, based on her work at Yale School of Drama and the Women's Project (WP) Lab in New York, and is informed by Sphinx's year-long research project on women in theatre conducted with Jennifer Tuckett at the University of Cambridge last year.

These nominations will be in addition to the ten previously announced places for female playwrights who will be selected via an open call to ensure new talent is supported as well.

In the first programme of its kind in the UK, each female playwright involved in the Sphinx Lab will receive a £1000 seed commission and support via the Sphinx Lab from leading female playwrights and the industry including Winsome Pinnock, the first black female playwright to be produced at The National Theatre, April De Angelis, whose adaptation of "My Brilliant Friend" was recently produced at The National Theatre and who is the author of the modern classic "Playhouse Creatures" amongst other work, Timberlake Wertenbaker, leading playwright, whose credits include the modern classic "Our Country's Good" amongst other work, Sphinx Literary Director Jennifer Tuckett, Sphinx Artistic Director Sue Parrish, Dame Rosemary Squire, co-founder of the Ambassador Theatre Group and Trafalgar Entertainment, Toni Racklin, Head of Theatre at the Barbican Centre, Brigid Larmour, Artistic Director at Watford Palace Theatre, and Stephanie Sirr, Chief Executive at Nottingham Playhouse.

Sue Parrish, Artistic Director of Sphinx Theatre, said: "We are delighted to announce the first half of our partnerships with leading theatres committed to gender equality as part of our 30th anniversary programme. Working together, we can make a difference and change the cultural landscape, as well as supporting female playwrights from each theatre in their careers".

Jennifer Tuckett, Literary Director of Sphinx Theatre, said: "We hope the support announced via these theatre partnerships and our open call will help support female playwrights during the coronavirus crisis, as well as developing plans for an ongoing programme for female playwrights in the UK. In this time of crisis, it is good to work together to provide this support and we thank our partners for their support."

For more information or to apply for the open call, please go to www.sphinxtheatre.co.uk