New Writing

At the beating heart of the theatres is our work with writers; since it is our passionate belief that an investment in new writing is an investment in our theatrical future. Our mission is to nurture and develop the playwrights who will represent the city’s talent, its voice and its unique energy, whilst at the same time showcasing new work by established local, national and international playwrights.

Since reopening in October 2011, the Playhouse Studio has become the intimate crucible for groundbreaking world premières which lasy year included internationally renowned Irish playwright and poet, Frank McGuinness's, hugely acclaimed new play The Match Box and Held, by YEP Young Writers  graduate Joe Ward Munrow.

The Matchbox by Frank McGuinness (Playhouse Studio, 2012) (c)Christian Smith

In 2011 we co-produced a new play by Jeremy Dyson based on Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected entitled Roald Dahl's Twisted Tales and Steven Berkoff's thunderous new adaptation of Sophocles's Oedipus. We presented Dead Heavy Fantastic at the Everyman, by Liverpool playwright Robert Farquhar and for our Autumn Winter 2011 season we presented three world premières: Stephen Sharkey's new adaptation of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, Graham Linehan's new stage adaptation of The Ladykillers and in October, we celebrated the reopening of the Playhouse Studio with Lizzie Nunnery's new play The Swallowing Dark.

The Swallowing Dark by Lizzie Nunnery (Playhouse Studio, 2011) (c)Christian Smith

In 2010 we presented world premières of new plays Ghosts Stories by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, Howard Brenton's new stage adaptation of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists , seven new stories by local writers to form Anthology, and our Christmas show at the Playhouse No Wise Men by Steven Canny and John Nicholson.

Anthology (Everyman & Hope Street, 2010) (c)Sam Heath

2009 had premières of Billy Wonderful by Nick Leather, as the Everyman was turned into a football ground, the magical, spell-binding Lost Monsters by Laurence Wilson and of course the second of Roger McGough’s runaway successes with Molière, in his own inimitable style, with The Hypochondriac.

   
Left: Lost Monsters by Laurence Wilson (Everyman, 2009) (c)Stephen Vaughan. Right: Erics by Mark Davies Markham (Everyman, 2008) (c)Stephen Vaughan                                            

In Liverpool's year as European Capital of Culture, 2008, the theatres produced no less than six major new writing pieces, featuring: two re-workings of classic plays, 3 Sisters on Hope Street by Diane Samuels and Tracy-Ann Oberman, and Tartuffe by Roger McGough; two epic musicals, Phil Willmott's Once Upon A Time At The Adelphi and Eric's by Mark Davies Markham; a searing drama about the family cost of war in the shape of Esther Wilson's Ten Tiny Toes; and Proper Clever, Frank Cottrell Boyce's first stage play for young people.  

Other highly acclaimed productions have included Intemperance (2007) by Lizzie Nunnery, The May Queen (2007) by Stephen Sharkey, The Electric Hills (2007) by Michael McLean, The Flint Street Nativity (2006) by Tim Firth, The Way Home (2006) by Chloë Moss, Paradise Bound (2006) by Jonathan Larkin, and Unprotected (2006) by Esther Wilson, John Fay, Tony Green and Lizzie Nunnery, which transferred to the Edinburgh Festival where it won the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award.

“The Everyman’s new writing programme has unearthed a talent worth celebrating” The Guardian on Intemperance

“blazes with energetic intelligence… this will change people’s minds and in unexpected ways” The Observer on Unprotected

“A rare play that captures the essence of Liverpool and its people without plunging into the usual clichés” Liverpool Daily Post on Paradise Bound

Around the main production programme, the Literary Department runs a range of projects and activities to create opportunities and endeavour to support writers at every career stage. Playwright Support offers an invaluable network of contacts and access to like-minded people, informing playwrights of up-coming events and opportunities. For all budding playwrights, we also run an open Script Submissions scheme that currently receives over 600 unsolicited scripts per year, all of which we aim to respond to within 3 months.

The Young Writers Programme is a year-long programme working alongside experienced practitioners, which nurtures and develops exciting new voices to create a new generation of Liverpool writers.