8 Feb 2024
The Bruntwood Prize For Playwriting with Royal Exchange Theatre Dramaturg Suzanne Bell
Suzanne Bell is currently the New Writing Associate and Dramaturg at the Royal Exchange Theatre. She has worked on a number of award-winning productions of new work and has led writer development workshops at Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, Royal Court Theatre, Soho Theatre, Live Theatre, Gate Theatre, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Theatre West, various universities and for companies in Brazil, Turkey, Canada and the USA. Suzanne was the first Literary Manager and Dramaturg to be appointed at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse, where she worked with a number of playwrights including Jonathan Harvey, Chloe Moss, Frank Cottrell Boyce, Esther Wilson and Lizzie Nunnery. She also worked on the award-winning production of UNPROTECTED, winner of the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. In her role at the Royal Exchange Theatre, she oversees the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, Britain’s biggest national playwriting competition.
A partnership between the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and property company Bruntwood, the Prize is an opportunity for writers of any background and experience to enter unperformed plays to be judged by a panel of industry experts for a chance to win part of a prize fund totalling £40,000.
At the heart of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is the principal that anyone and everyone can enter the Prize – it is entirely anonymous and scripts are judged purely on the basis of the work alone and with no knowledge of the identity of the playwright. Since its inception in 2005 over 15,000 scripts have been entered, £304,000 has been awarded to 34 prize winning writers and 26 winning productions have been staged in 38 UK wide venues. In 2015 it celebrated its 10th anniversary and is now recognised as a launch-pad for some of the country’s most respected and produced playwrights.
Each winner enters into a development process with the Royal Exchange Theatre in an endeavour to bring their work to production. It is not guaranteed but we aspire to produce each play and find co-producers to give the plays a longer life and further reach. There have been co-productions with Lyric Hammersmith, Live Theatre, Soho Theatre, Bush Theatre, Orange Tree Theatre, Sherman Theatre, High Tide and the Royal Court Theatre. Work has also gone on to be produced internationally from Australia, USA, Germany, France, to Canada and Sweden.
InTheRoom Series Three is sponsored by Actors Coaching International. An Acting school with an ethos of trust, authenticity, and connection. At ACI, everyone has a voice, everyone will be seen and heard. Please visit: actorscoachinginternational.com/#home (http://actorscoachinginternational.com/#home) to find out more.
Actors Matthew Philip Harris and Christian Lee Smith, want to try and answer the question “how do I get in the room?”
While it’s a multifaceted question they believe every creative can find their answer. They hope to do this for themselves and their audience.
Discussions packed with advice, motivation, and entertainment from the top professionals in our industry. Casting Directors, Agents, Actors, Directors, Writers, Producers and more!
Come and join Matthew and Christian, InTheRoom.
