Leeds Actors in Training (LAIT) and students from the University of Leeds’ MA Writing for Performance and Publication course have teamed up to present a showcase of four original scripts inspired by the theme Truth.
Charlotte Dalrymple, Tilly Devine, Ben Erwin and Karen Richardson are the successful playwrights who have been selected to work with LAIT through Leeds Grand Theatre‘s Grand Writers Platform – a new opportunity for early-career playwrights to respond to a brief, create a treatment, and have their scripts workshopped and produced by a professional creative team.
“The buzz of getting the green light to direct the Leeds Actors In Training students for a second time was made even better when it was confirmed that we would be collaborating with Leeds University MA Writers for Performance and Publication students,” explains LAIT’s Artistic Director, Lizi Patch.
“It’s the perfect partnership and springboard for both actors and writers at the beginning of their careers. I chose the theme ‘Truth’ in response to the current climate of fake news and opaque politics. As a result, we have four brand-new plays that are leaping off the page and on to the Seven Arts stage. It’s incredibly exciting.”
Dalrymple’s Chop Wood, Carry Water is inspired by real-life events that humorously take on anti-natalism and the ability to sue your own parents; Nine, by Tilly Devine, unveils the unbeknownst connections of four strangers through a punchy piece of spoken word; Erwin’s By the Tree Stump reveals what happens between two best friends when one of them discloses the truth about their identity; and We’ll Meet Again by Richardson is a not-so-distant piece of science fiction exploring her family’s experience of Alzheimer’s.
Truth will be performed at Seven Arts, Leeds, on Thursday 4th and Friday 5th July at 7.30pm. Tickets can be booked online at sevenleeds.co.uk
Find out more about the University of Leeds’ theatre & performance courses and their creative partnerships at ahc.leeds.ac.uk/performance/
