In May 2020 we invited writers across the country to submit their scripts to us, so that we could meet writers we had no previous relationship with and get to know some of them better.
We are now delighted to announce the nine writers who join us as our new associate writers for the next two years: Deborah Acheampong, Natasha Brown, Gillian Greer, Tabby Lamb, Eva Lily, Sarah Middleton, Jessy Roberts, Emilie Robson and Sid Sagar.
Each writer will benefit from:
- A £1,000 payment for the writers’ involvement in our Next Up programme, to support attendance at workshops and readings, geared around the development of a new idea.
- Participation in a number of writing masterclasses, led by world-class playwrights.
- A day working on a piece of their writing with a cast of actors and Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith, to hear it brought to life and to spend some time getting to know each other creatively.
- The possibility of writing a piece for Out Loud, our scratch night, in association with Silent Uproar.
- Regular online meetings with the Middle Child artistic team and the other associated writers, to develop an idea to be considered for future programming.
Middle Child artistic director, Paul Smith, said: “Championing new voices is a key part of what we do, from our writers’ group and scratch night, to our producing of new work, such as Daniel Ward’s George Devine Award-winning The Canary and the Crow.
“This new programme will build meaningful relationships with even more artists and offer genuine support that we are confident will lead to full commissions in the future.
“For a long time we’ve been searching for a better way to get to know writers between first meeting and full commissions and we’re excited that this new programme represents a vital change for how we build lasting collaborations.
“I’m really excited that within our inaugural associate writers we have a really diverse and exciting range of artists, from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels, who will form a key part of our work for years to come.
“The ongoing success of Daniel Ward’s brilliant first play, The Canary and the Crow, proves the importance of companies like ours for supporting new ideas and we can’t wait to get started creating the future with this incredible group of writers.”
Deborah Acheampong
“I’m totally looking forward to working as an associate writer for Middle Child, a company that’s edgy, bold and urgent. I love that! As a playwright, I’ve got a thing for stories that are deeply personal; angry, sad, happy, anxious, whatever it may be. Basically, things that grapple with what it means to be human. And in working with Middle Child, I hope that I’ll gain more confidence in exploring that; that I won’t feel afraid to express myself, to write something great or something terrible, all in the aim of becoming a better playwright.”
Deborah first got into theatre when she watched the most boring play ever. It was about the ups and downs in the life of an average couple, so, at first glance, she thought there couldn’t be anything truly remarkable in it. But after leaving, she realised that she had actually watched something that resonated with her, and with the audience, in a way that she hadn’t seen before. Soon she realised that what is most relatable is the most profound. So, she combined her love of the Big Topics; religion, sociology, feminism and politics, and realised that she could use the lives of average people as an accessible way of discussing those themes.
Natasha Brown
“I’m so excited to be an associated writer at Middle Child theatre. Having the opportunity to develop my practice as a theatremaker with a company that puts accessibility at the forefront of its mission is a privilege. I’m a huge fan of their work and the stories they tell. I can’t wait to skillshare with the other associated writers and to have a space to explore and play with some burning gig theatre ideas. After 2020, I’ve got quite a lot to scream and shout about!”
Natasha Brown is an actor, writer, theatremaker and facilitator based in London. Her work interrogates power, identity and community. She has been part of the Soho Writers’ Lab, the Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers’ Group and the Soho Accelerate programme. Her debut play I AM [NOT] KANYE WEST received rave reviews when it ran at the Bunker Theatre in March 2020. Her previous work also includes TORCH (Boundless Theatre) and Contradictions (Bush Theatre). As a facilitator, she has created workshops for schools, community groups, artists and young people, most recently working with the Yard Theatre, Theatre Royal Stratford East, the Donmar Warehouse and Clean Break.
Gillian Greer
“It’s incredibly exciting to be joining the Middle Child family as an associate writer. I have such admiration for the company, their work and their spirit and I’m looking forward to being inspired by them and exploring how to integrate live music into my style and storytelling in particular.”
Gillian is a playwright and dramaturg from Dublin who has seen her work performed in the Abbey in Dublin, the Traverse in Edinburgh and all manner of London fringe venues. Her debut play Petals was nominated for the Irish Times Theatre Award for Best New Play in 2015, and a radio adaptation won the Celtic Media Award for Radio Drama in 2020. Her second play Meat ran at Theatre503 to critical acclaim in early 2020, just before the world ended. As a dramaturg, she has worked at the National Theatre, VAULT Festival, Clean Break Theatre Company, the Mercury Theatre and many more. She is currently the literary manager of the Soho Theatre.
Tabby Lamb
“I am so excited to be part of the Middle Child family, as their shows are always exactly what I look for in theatre: fun, loud and politically sound. I’m looking forward to learning more about how they collaborate interdisciplinarily, especially when it comes to music. At the start of 2020 I promised myself I wouldn’t make any work that centred queer trauma, and would focus on radical acts of queer joy, so I’m looking forward to working with Middle Child to create some fantastic, complex, but ultimately joyous Trans characters.”
Tabby Lamb is a non-binary writer and performer based in East London and a graduate of Dartington College of Arts. Equally inspired by Carly Rae Jepson and Tennessee Williams, they strive to tell stories that explore the intersections between popular culture and politics. Their debut solo show Since U Been Gone, which Tabby wrote and performed, premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019, after previewing at the Gate Theatre. The show was spectacularly received by audiences and garnered a glowing 4* write up from the Guardian who called the play “bold, honest and swollen with love”. They were part of the Soho Theatre Writers Lab and the LGBTQ Arts Review #RaisingOurVoices scheme for queer and trans writers, and are currently one of Oxford Playhouse’s Playhouse Playmakers. Tabby is also currently under commission at the Unicorn Theatre, The Place, 45North & Pentabus Theatre. Alongside their passion for writing, Tabby is a facilitator and runs creative arts projects for young people from the LGBTQ+ community.
Eva Lily
“I am so thrilled and excited to be joining Middle Child’s writing programme. As well as being able to learn from some other fantastic artists and writers, I would like to use this opportunity and space to experiment more within my work and embrace more surreal elements and styles. Recently, I’ve been interested in the concept of ‘story ownership’, particularly in relation to female narratives and so I hope to expand on this further in the work I develop with Middle Child.”
Eva wrote her first play, Bright, while studying English at the University of Exeter. After graduating with a first, she was a member of the Royal Court’s Introduction to Playwriting Course. In 2018, Eva co-founded Eve & Sea Productions and co-wrote their debut show Salmon which has since enjoyed sell out successes and received 4- star reviews. Performances include: Poltimore Festival; Drayton Arms Theatre; Edinburgh Fringe Festival (2019); tour of the South West and a week at Vault Festival in February 2020. Eva’s other previous works include Of Love Letters and Suicide Notes (Exeter Phoenix and Waterloo East Theatre) and The Reply (White Bear Theatre).
Sarah Middleton
“I’m so happy to be taking part in the programme, and feel really lucky to have been selected. As I’m at the beginning of my journey as a writer, I’m most looking forward to getting stuck into the craft of playwriting. Working alongside a company as dynamic as Middle Child is a dream come true – and I’m hoping to take the opportunity with both hands, whilst exploring female-led narratives about women on missions who talk a bit too much and love snacks. I’m particularly wanting to work on a new idea involving each of these features, plus darts, karaoke and mullets. Can’t wait.”
Sarah Middleton is a theatre-maker and writer originally from Derby. Since 2011 she has worked as an actor, including work at Hull Truck Theatre, Royal Exchange Manchester, Orange Tree and National Theatre. Since 2018 she has been writing alongside acting. Sarah’s writing so far centres around coming-of- age stories and has largely been for and with young audiences. She is particularly interested in writing stories that put women centre-stage, and characters who are adventurous, driven and funny. Sarah’s plays have involved a teenager entering the world hobby-horse championship, a puppet who wants to become a real boy, and two teenagers who take over a barn in the Peak District to stage an enormous climate change protest. In 2019 Sarah was commissioned by Nottingham Playhouse to write an adaptation of Pinocchio for children aged 3-8, which played in the Neville Studio and toured to local schools. Sarah is currently writing and co-producing SHEWOLVES – a new play for young people – along with director Hannah Stone. SHEWOLVES is currently being workshopped with young people in the midlands and will soon go into an R&D, kindly funded by Arts Council England.
Jessy Roberts
“I am over the moon to be working with Middle Child as an associate writer, it’s been such a break in the clouds in 2020. I can’t wait to meet everyone, get to know them and their work, and develop my writing whilst being supported by such a cool company. My work is collage-y and gig theatre-y and angr-y and explores contemporary feminist issues and big questions. I’m excited by the universe and our place within it, and how we can explore that on stage in a theatrical, magical, audience-centric way.”
Jessy is a theatre maker, playwright and director. She studied Theatre: Writing, Directing and Performance at the University of York, and is completing an MA in Directing at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She is the Artistic Director of Teastain Theatre, Intern Director for the Rondo Theatre, and a script reader for various organisations. Recent credits as a writer, director and assistant director include: When They Go Low (the egg/Bath Theatre Academy), Messy Eaters (Teastain Theatre/SLAP Festival/York Theatre Royal), Constellations (TakeOver Festival/York Theatre Royal), Wild Thyme and Heather (Teastain Theatre/TakeOver Festival/York Theatre Royal), Lovely Special Best and Most Important (TakeOver Festival/York Theatre Royal), Horseshoes for Hand Grenades (Eric Loren/East Riding Theatre) and One Giant Leap for June (Open Barn Productions).
Emilie Robson
“I am absolutely elated to be invited to join Middle Child as an associate writer. I cannot wait to begin working alongside their accomplished team, developing my voice and style and elevating my practice through this program. My writing typically places women at the centre of the narrative and endeavours to explore ‘little’, everyday stories but hopefully, in a bold and unique way. I hope to write theatre that makes full use of the medium, bends its boundaries and allows the audience to see and hear themselves on stage.”
Originally from South Shields, Emilie Robson has spent the last ten years in Scotland, writing and performing in a mix of both Geordie and Scots. In 2018 she received the Scottish Arts Club’s ‘Bright Spark’ Award for Moonlight on Leith, a Dylan Thomas inspired love letter to Leith, co-written by Laila Noble. The play went on to be named runner up at Theatre Uncut’s Political Playwriting Award ceremony in 2019. She recently received a masters with distinction in Theatre Studies from the University of Glasgow.
Sid Sagar
“I’m so excited and grateful to be part of Middle Child’s inaugural associate writers scheme. As an emerging creative in an uncertain time, it means a lot when an organisation actively seeks to develop, enrich and empower new voices. I can’t wait to learn from and contribute to masterclasses, workshops and conversations with the artistic team. I’m passionate about celebrating the comedy, drama and complexity of marginalised voices, and the associated writers scheme is the ideal platform from which to build on my interests and find new ways to make theatre truly accessible and relevant for all.”
Sid is a London-based actor, writer and facilitator. He grew up abroad and has lived in England since the age of eight. He studied at the University of Bristol and trained with the National Youth Theatre, Identity School of Acting and the Writers’ Lab at Soho Theatre. As an actor, he regularly works on stage and screen. As a writer, his short plays have been produced at various venues in London, including Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503 and Rich Mix. His short play, Disruption, was commissioned by Small Truth Theatre for the Kensington Karavan Festival in 2019. His first full length play, Dark Faces in the Night, was shortlisted for the Finborough Theatre’s ETPEP Award and was one of the winners of Rose Theatre Kingston’s inaugural New Writing Festival. He was selected for The Mono Box’s PLAYSTART scheme in 2018 and his short play, Papa, was published by Oberon Books. He’s currently developing an ACE-funded audio drama, a commission for The Mono Box’s Reset the Stage series, a monologue for London Bubble’s Young Theatre Makers Programme, and a co-written sitcom with SLAM Films.
