We are delighted to announce the six writers who have been commissioned for the very first Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival, coming to the Fruit Market over the weekend of 20-21 July 2024.
Rosie Race, Hannah Scorer, Grace Waga Glevey, Marc Graham, Prince Kundai and Andrew Houghton were selected from 130 entrants, who responded to an open call for writers with “a meaningful connection to Hull”.
They will work with Middle Child to develop two drafts of their respective scripts, to be performed in rehearsed readings at a pop-up venue on Stage@TheDock, an open-air amphitheatre by the River Hull.
The Fresh Ink festival programme will also feature a series of workshops, talks and social events over the weekend of 20-21 July.
The full programme will be announced, with tickets going on-sale, in early June. Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about Fresh Ink.
Rosie Race
No Woman Is An Island
Hannah Scorer
Can We Be Friends?
Marc Graham
Isabelle
Grace Waga Glevey
Jack & Gill
Andrew Houghton
Phobia
Prince Kundai
Senzeni Na?
70-min commissions
A full-length script, for writers with at least one prior, professionally-produced play. Each writer will receive a fee of £4,582.
Rosie Race
No Woman Is An Island
No Woman Is An Island (working title) is a perversely funny, absurd and moving portrayal of a pregnant woman on the brink of insanity. Driven to despair by the state of everything, she systematically dismantles the world around herself in search of a utopia where she and her baby can live in peace.
About Rosie
Originally from Hull, Rosie Race trained in choreography and visual performance at Dartington College of Arts, before graduating from RADA in 2018. She is a freelance actor and writer and a core member of Quirk Theatre in Devon. She works as a movement director and is associate artist at Theatre Royal Plymouth, where her first full length show Us Against The World opened in February 2024.
She is associate artist of Theatre Alibi and Documental Theatre and developed her second play Filthy Animal during her time on Soho Theatre Writers Lab, which was shortlisted for the Tony Craze award 2024. Rosie is an associate lecturer in Acting and Physical Performance at the University of Plymouth.
Hannah Scorer
Can We Be Friends?
Orla is six and wants to meet her dad. The other kids at school have dads, but she’s never met hers. Rex, her mum, is ground down by single parenthood and barely coping. Can We Be Friends? follows them both as they discover family doesn’t always look the way we’re told.
About Hannah
Hannah works in public health communications and has previously worked as a journalist. She started writing theatre late, after taking parting in the Middle Child Writers’ Group in 2019. Since then she has written for the 2020 Middle Child panto and Out Loud scratch night in 2023.
She lives in Hull with her partner, child and dog, Luna; a setter-cross they’ve just adopted from Greece. She enjoys being outside, walking, rock climbing, doing yoga and getting excited about new hobbies – currently trialling and loving aerial hoop.
30-min commissions
A full play or part of a bigger idea, for writers yet to be professionally produced. Each writer will receive a fee of £2,292.
Marc Graham
Isabelle
A family back come together for the first time in ten years, after everyone agrees to spend Christmas with Mum.
She has demanded it. She wants to meet the people in her children’s lives that have taken them away from her, she jokes. When they return it’s not only themselves they bring back, they bring back their past… and one thing really not welcome.
About Marc
Marc Graham is an actor who predominantly works in theatre. He has lived in Hull for 13 years, after graduating from the University of Hull and is a co-founder of Middle Child. Marc took part in the 2019 Middle Child Writers’ Group and this is his first commission as a writer.
Grace Waga Glevey
Jack & Gill
Jack & Gill follows the conversations of an unexpected friendship between two octogenarians, from vastly different walks of life, who wind up in the same crumbling Yorkshire care home. It’s a play about quiet changes, how different cultures treat ageing, and the traditions we risk losing with our elders.
About Grace
Grace is a theatre and television maker from Scunthorpe. She recently founded Hani Projects, a not-for-profit theatre and arts production company committed to developing and attracting new work in and to Humberside. Its first production, Delulu, a sketch show critiquing the portrayal of girls and girliness in ’00s pop culture, has received a residency with Sheffield Theatres.
She has trained with the Old Vic as a young theatre maker and in Sheffield Theatres’ New Dramaturgs Group. She has read for the Royal Court’s Living Archive, and the Bush Theatre. Her article, Mabuhay, on mixed race identity was published in FOYER magazine.
15-min commissions
A full piece, number of smaller extracts or part of a bigger story, for any writer. Each writer will receive a fee of £750.
Andrew Houghton
Phobia
Alex and Dad embark on their annual trip to Hull Fair, a beloved tradition despite the increasing distance between them. When a ride malfunction leaves the pair stranded high in the air, a very panicked Dad requires constant conversation to keep his nerves under control.
About Andrew
Andrew was born and raised in Hull and loved being part of the city’s arts scene before heading off to university. Since studying at Guildford School of Acting, they have been creating LGBTQ+ focused work with the company they co-founded, Pink Milk Theatre.
The past couple of years have seen Andrew tour their solo show Naughty, about the importance of safe role models for queer youth. They usually write from experience, with the intent to perform their own work, and Fresh Ink marks their first time stepping away from this, with a completely fictional duologue.
Prince Kundai
Senzeni Na?
Prince’s play is an African coming-of-age story following a young girl and the dynamics between her, her small family and the world around them.
About Prince
Prince Kundai is a Hull-raised creative and a graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Prince made his acting debut playing Sutter in the critically-acclaimed production of Bootycandy at the Gate Theatre in London.
Following the success of Bootycandy, Prince went on to play Chuck in Paper Cut at the Park Theatre. Prince has also worked with The Globe, Yard Theatre and Telluric on creative projects. Fresh Ink marks Prince Kundai’s first venture in writing.
How were these writers chosen?
An open call was run between November 2023 and January 2024, for writers with a meaningful connection to Hull to apply for one of the six commissions.
We asked for an outline of each writer’s idea and a 10-page example of their work, before Middle Child literary manager, Matthew May, created a shortlist.
The final six writers were then selected by an independent steering group. Read more about the process in a blog post by literary manager, Matthew May.
Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival – Co-Founder and Sponsor
Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival is supported by:
Middle Child are supported by:
