Welcome This year’s annual report gives a snapshot of some of the work of Playwrights’ Studio during the financial year 2017/18, and begins to track its impact.

In it, we are able to collate the numbers and names of the 66 playwrights who benefited from our work, and those who delivered it – as well as the 48 events and completed scripts that made up an extremely busy and successful year.

Towards the end of the financial year, we were pleased and grateful to be awarded standstill funding from Creative for the following three years. Along with financial support from City Council and our strong relationships with sponsors Nick Hern Books and partners such as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and University of , this is a ringing endorsement of the work of Scotland's playwrights as essential to a strong and healthy culture.

Playwrights are at the heart of everything we do, from serving on our board of directors, to participating enthusiastically in our Programmes. Our thanks, as ever, go out to them!

Fiona Sturgeon Shea, Creative Director Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland

Rona Munro, Chair In my third year as Chair of Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland there has been both disaster and upheaval! As I write this introduction to the 2017/18 Annual Report, Playwrights’ Studio is currently homeless. As a consequence of the terrible fire at Glasgow School of Art, the offices in the CCA are closed and the organisation has had to seek temporary accommodation elsewhere. It’s a tribute to the staff that they have still presented a complete Edinburgh Festival programme in the face of this disruption, and continue to serve the needs of Scotland’s playwriting community.

There has also been well publicised upheaval elsewhere. In the wider world, narratives are becoming fractured and drifting towards extremes. Speaking personally, it feels like a timely occasion to reflect on the importance of the work of my fellow playwrights and their contribution to our unique culture. Drama reflects its community and, in troubled times, offers both relief and an opportunity to reflect and debate beyond the polarisation of politics.

In supporting Scotland’s playwrights, at every stage of their careers, the work of the Studio has arguably never been more important.

Rona Munro, Chair Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland Strengthen and provide vital support and resources to Scotland’s playwrights

In 2017/2018:

6 emerging playwrights wrote new plays, under the guidance of experienced colleagues, through our Mentoring Programme.

5 early career playwrights received New Playwrights Awards to create new plays, including in Gaelic.

5 experienced professional playwrights developed new plays through Writers Projects and the Professional Workshop Programme.

112 scripts were read through our free script reading services.

The Space was used by playwrights for script development 142 times.

8 spaces in the Tom McGrath Writers’ Room were fully booked all year.

Over 600 publications by Scotland’s playwrights are currently stocked in our Plays Library. Actively promote Scotland’s playwrights, their plays and the craft of playwriting

In 2017/2018:

13 plays, developed with support from Playwrights’ Studio, were produced or presented for audiences throughout the UK. These included the tour of What Shadows by Chris Hannan, Love Song to Lavender Menace by James Ley, Party Politics by Lorna Martin and Damned Rebel Bitches by Sandy Thomson.

548 members of the public attended our rehearsed readings and discussions.

1,300 plays were purchased from our Festival Bookshop during August.

There were 21,707 individual visits to playwrightsstudio.co.uk

58 students engaged in our education projects.

Stimulate, lead and facilitate critical thinking about playwriting through discussion, debate and advocacy In 2017/2018:

26 playwrights directly employed to deliver our services and programmes, including Mentoring, script surgeries and workshops.

In partnership with the Playwrights’ Guild of Canada, we ran 2 online international webinars on The Climate of Place and Space and The Climate of Underrepresented Voices.

Working with the BA Performance in British Sign Language and English course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, we facilitated our first BSL and English script development workshop and rehearsed reading. This was Tim Barrow’s Hell’s Teeth with direction and dramaturgy by Alyson Woodhouse.

With the Scottish Society of Playwrights, we commissioned the second Playwrights Survey. We launched a draft report at two Playwrights Gatherings, contributing to the Scottish Government’s Culture Strategy for Scotland.

We were awarded the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship from Creative Scotland on the theme Epic, encouraging a writer to imagine large-scale, ambitious ideas. Increase the efficiency and sustainability of Playwrights’ Studio for the benefit of Scotland’s playwrights and the people of Scotland

In 2017/2018:

We were awarded continued Regular Funding from Creative Scotland to deliver our core Programme of playwright development from 2018 - 2021, and provide the stability to find new ways of supporting playwrights.

We were accepted onto the Just Enterprise Business Support Programme to begin developing a new income generation plan.

We launched the first National Workshop Programme Area in the , led by Selkirk-based Associate Playwright, Jules Horne. 9 writers undertook an intensive programme of playwright development, culminating in TalkFest in the Borders, a public celebration and exploration of playwriting from the Scottish Borders.

The core staff team of four delivered our full programme across Scotland. At least 95% of our income was used to support playwrights and the development of their plays. 48 Events & Scripts Discussions: It’s a Playwright’s Life Philip Howard Pop Goes the Theatre! Nicola McCartney The Writer’s Director Rona Munro Staging a Revolution Adura Onashile The Business of Playwriting Workshops: Invite Curious Seed What is Said and What is Not Said Oliver Emanuel The Performer Playwright Pauline Goldsmith The Local, The Global and The Universal Adam McNamara and Joe Douglas I Second That Emotion; Playwriting for Beginners; Writing for Performance: An Introduction Martin O’Connor Speaking Out Susan Worsfold In Your Own Words Morna Young Script Development: Whispers Jennifer Adam Hell’s Teeth Tim Barrow Clockwatchin’ Thomas Clark Fit for the Gods Chris Deans Away with the Birds Cathy Forde Herr Doctor Sonya Hayden Handfast Jules Horne Better at the Strath Campbell Hutcheson Turning Tide Kirsty Jobling Amy’s Dilemma Anita John Infanticide in the House of Omanz Nelly Kelly Little Things That Come Between Us Jo Lennie Margarets John McEwen Equal Opportunity Mongrel Laura McIntyre Cadaver Police in The Electrocution Afterlife Alan McKendrick Party Politics Lorna Martin The Golden Child Andy Moseley Brace Position Rona Munro What Lies Beneath? Tom Murray Tea Rebecca Nada-Rajah White Eyes Frances Poet Poor Painted Queen Catriona Scott The Skin of A Man Brandon Shalansky Troubles of the Female Variety Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir Tribute Band Dave Smith The Bell Robert Sproul-Cran Orphine and the Underworld Sarahjane Swan and Roger Simian Move ~ Gluasad AJ Taudevin Camp David Drew Taylor-Wilson Thole Owen Whitelaw Fecund Carolyn Yates Webinars: The Climate of Writing for Place and Space Jules Horne The Climate of Underrepresented Voices Raman Mundair Events: Creating Impact: Theatres and Universities in association with the University of Edinburgh

Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland is supported by 66 playwrights Jennifer Adam ¦ Tim Barrow ¦ Gowan Calder Apphia Campbell ¦ Hammaad Chaudry ¦ Thomas Clark Chris Deans ¦ Chris Dolan ¦ Clare Duffy Oliver Emanuel ¦ Cathy Forde ¦ Annie George Pauline Goldsmith ¦ Alan Gordon ¦ Stephen Greenhorn Lesley Hart ¦ Sonya Hayden ¦ Lewis Hetherington Jules Horne ¦ Kieran Hurley ¦ Campbell Hutcheson Jaimini Jethwa ¦ Kirsty Jobling ¦ Anita John ¦ Nelly Kelly David Leddy ¦ Jo Lennie ¦ James Ley Iain Finlay Macleod ¦ Sabrina Mahfouz ¦ Lorna Martin Douglas Maxwell ¦ John McCann ¦ Nicola McCartney John McEwen ¦ Jen McGregor ¦ Laura McIntyre Linda Duncan McLaughlin ¦ Alan McKendrick Johnny McKnight ¦ Adam McNamara ¦ Mairi Morrison Andy Moseley ¦ Raman Mundair ¦ Rona Munro Tom Murray ¦ Rebecca Nada-Rajah ¦ Martin O'Connor Adura Onashile ¦ Morna Pearson ¦ Frances Poet Lynda Radley ¦ Catriona Scott ¦ Sara Shaarawi Brandon Shalansky ¦ Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir Sam Siggs ¦ Dave Smith ¦ Robert Sproul-Cran Sarahjane Swan & Roger Simian ¦ AJ Taudevin Drew Taylor-Wilson ¦ Owen Whitelaw ¦ Carolyn Yates Morna Young

Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland, CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JD ¦ 0141 332 4403 ¦ [email protected] Company No: 265015 ¦ Charity No: SC036767