Wednesday 4th March 2020 7pm – 8pm
Venue: The Auditorium – Level 6, Foyles 107 Charing Cross Road*.

*Please note that the auditorium at Foyles is fully accessible from the lifts located on the Ground Floor.

 FREE

Foyles is proud to present an event in celebration of the brand new Women’s Prize for Playwriting, a brand new award co-created by Ellie Keel Productions and Paines Plough.

Theatre producer and founder of the prize Ellie Keel with be joined by playwrights Tanika Gupta and Phoebe Eclair-Powell to discuss not just the award itself, but why it is so important to have it in 2020. With more panellists to be announced, you’ll hear about the state of women’s writing for the stage, both 100 years ago and the past 15 years, and the many questions that facing women writers today- have we seen positive change? Why are so few represented by the industry? Why did we need this prize to be established, and what is it’s value? The night will not only be a celebration of women writers for the stage, but also a showcase for some for the incredible female talent out there.

Tanika Gupta – Tanika has written over 20 stage plays that have been produced in major theatres across the UK. She has written 30 radio plays for the BBC and several original television dramas, as well as scripts for EastEnders, Grange Hill and The Bill. Tanika has been writer in residence at the National Theatre and at Soho Theatre, a fellow at the Playwright’s Studio in Glasgow and a writing tutor in Winchester Women’s prison. She has won numerous awards for her work. She is presently a visiting lecturer at Royal Holloway University of London and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Phoebe Eclair-Powell – Phoebe is a London-based playwright and actress, and recently won the Bruntwood Prize for her play Shed: Exploded View, based on Cornelia Parker’s Cold Dark Matter. She has written numerous plays, including TORCH, WINK, and the Verity Bargate Award finalist, Fury. Phoebe also acted in she appeared in Peckham: The Soap Opera at the Royal Court.

Ellie Keel – Ellie is the founder of her award-winning company producing new theatre shows in London, Edinburgh, and on tour. In 2019, Ellie Keel Productions presented a season of four shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As well as co-founding the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, Elle is also a director for Just Like Us, who partner with employers to train LGBT+ young people to give talks and workshops in schools that use their own stories to champion LGBT+ equality and challenge prejudice.

The event will be followed by a Q&A with the panelists.

https://www.foyles.co.uk/public/events/detail.aspx?eventid=4135