Future writers will see their work come to life on stage on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th June from 11am to 4.30pm when the plays they have written as part of the University of Birmingham’s MPhil Playwriting Studies are performed at the Patrick Centre, Birmingham Hippodrome.
The performances will take the form of rehearsed readings which will be performed by professional actors and directed by professional directors.
The University’s MPhil in Playwriting Studies was established by internationally acclaimed dramatist David Edgar in 1989 and since then has produced many key writers in the profession including Sarah Kane who wrote ‘Blasted’ and ‘Cleansed’, Fraser Grace who wrote ‘Breakfast with Mugabe’ and Sarah Woods who wrote the plays ‘Trips’ and ‘Grace’ as well as current course convenor, Steve Waters, whose play ‘Fast Labour’ is opening this week at Hampstead Theatre in London.
Other graduates from the course with work coming to the stage in the next few months include Anthony Weigh with his play about the effects of new sex-offender laws in Iowa called ‘2000 Feet Away’ at the Bush Theatre and Amy Rosenthal who has written a play about DH Lawrence and his wife called ‘On the Rocks’ which will be performed at the Hampstead Theatre.
Steve Waters, course leader from the University of Birmingham’s Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, says, ‘This is a chance to see the next generation of talented playwrights at the start of their careers. This year’s group is highly skilled and their work is already drawing interest from theatres and radio. They are highly diverse with the youngest in their 20s and the oldest in their 60s, with writers from the USA and Sweden amongst them; the confidence and energy of their work is very exciting.’
The readings start each day at 11am and end at 4.30pm and entry is free.
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Notes to Editors
The MPhil (B) Playwriting Studies at the University of Birmingham is Britain’s leading programme dedicated to the craft of the dramatist. Founded by internationally-renowned playwright David Edgar, this flagship degree was the country’s first postgraduate course in playwriting. The programme offers students a unique opportunity to explore the building blocks of the dramatist’s craft, both practically and theoretically.
For further media information
Kate Chapple, Press Officer, University of Birmingham, tel 0121 414 2772 or 07789 921164.