About Us

London Playwrights’ Blog began back in 2013 as a resource for emerging playwrights. Our aim was (and still is!) to bring together the latest opportunities, best resources, and good advice in one place. Since then, we’ve expanded our work to offer workshops, development opportunities, and events to support new writers in developing their work. We believe playwriting is for absolutely everyone who wants to join in! We’re always striving to be more accessible and to help create a level playing field for a diverse range of writers. We welcome anyone who wants to join our community – whether you’re completely new to writing, or just want to expand your network in a supportive environment, we’re here for you!

From workshops, to courses, to blog posts from emerging writers, to opportunities and mentoring…we hope you find find our work inspiring and instrumental in developing your craft as a playwright!

London Playwrights’ Workshop Ltd is a non-profit company and our work is made possible entirely by the kind support from our members. If you’d like to join us and help us grow, find out more here!

MEET THE TEAM

We’re a friendly bunch! We have a team of core contributors who work on running the blog, sourcing opportunities, and creating new resources plus a lovely group of people who work with us on a regular basis to help us deliver workshops and projects.

Kimberley Andrews – Co-Founder and Director

Kimberley is a playwright and dramaturg. As a playwright, she has worked with the Birmingham Rep, Manchester Royal Exchange, Wolverhampton University, All the Rage Theatre, Luton Culture, and RADA. She has also written and produced comedy sketch shows on the London Fringe. As a dramaturg, she has worked on short films for BBC ideas, tutored playwriting MA students at RADA, and works as a freelance script consultant. As well as managing the organisational side of London Playwrights’ Workshop, Kimberley focuses on Writer Development, creating content and resources for emerging writers such as The Literary Series, as well as mentoring, and leading workshops. Website: kimberleyandrews.info

A.C. Smith – Co-Founder and Head of Special Projects

A.C. Smith (Alli to friends!) is a scriptwriter and songwriter. She has won awards from the RSC and Soho Theatre, and had work performed at venues including Soho Theatre, RADA, Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503, HighTide Festival, Rose Playhouse Bankside, Pleasance Theatre, The Space, and the Tristan Bates Theatre and was a member of the Bush Theatre’s 2016 Emerging Writers Group. She has worked at RADA as a Playwriting Tutor and as Head of Academic Studies, and as a Development Executive at First Born Films, nurturing new feature film projects. As a lyricist and bookwriter for musical theatre, A.C. was shortlisted for the Kevin Spacey Artists of Choice Awards and has had her songs (written with Bella Barlow) performed at the Globe Theatre and on JemmThree Radio. She and Kimberley founded London Playwrights’ Blog and London Playwrights’ Workshop as resources to help writers bridge the gap between their artistic lives and practical goals. She is excited to be expanding this work into new initiatives to support London writers. Website: www.ac-smith.com

Jane Ryan – Artistic Development Manager

Jane is a writer, producer and dramaturg. Before graduating from her MA at RADA & Birkbeck University, Jane staged a play that she had produced and written at the Kings Head Theatre. Credits include producing theatre festivals, to touring productions and has worked at the Almeida Theatre and Polka Theatre. Recently, she has had stage readings of her work held at the Liverpool Royal Court and currently works in opera. This year, Jane was in a Writers’ Room residency with SCC and is currently in the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Playwrights cohort 2020/21.

Jane produced the podcast, Making It with Temi Wilkey, in association with the Bush Theatre, One Fine Play and London Playwrights’ Workshop; this received widespread acclaim and was promoted in the Evening Standard as one of the best alternative arts and theatre shows. You can listen to it here.

Emily Garside – Script Consultant and Workshop Leader

Emily Garside is a playwright, dramaturg and academic and by day Arts Marketeer! A specialist in Musical theatre from an academic point of view, her PhD looked at the history of musical theatre and she has since worked on history and analysis of musicals for various publications. Emily is also a dramaturg who has worked on a variety of projects both plays and musical theatre. As Chair of the board for Taking Flight theatre Emily also has expertise in accessible/inclusive theatre an integrated BSL/Captioning. A graduate of RADA and University of Nottingham. She has produced work with Clock Tower Theatre, Freerayne Productions, Dirty Protest Theatre and The Other Room. And her play Don’t Send Flowers has toured to Cardiff, Wolverhampton and Manchester. Emily works regularly with The Arena Theatre Wolverhampton and is a writer for the 14/48 theatre festival there. She has taught Theatre at Cardiff Metropolitan University, the University of South Wales and Wolverhampton University.

Selwin Hulme-Teague - Workshop Facilitator and Script Reader

Selwin is a student at the University of Warwick. Outside of his studies he makes theatre, specialising in new writing or devised work that voices complicated, misunderstood stories, usually through a political, feminist, or queer optic. He has worked as a director and writer with Barbican Theatre Plymouth, Pound of Flesh, nettle theatre and White Noise Theatre, of which he is co-founder and co-artistic director. Whilst at university, he has staged work at the Warwick Arts Centre and Edinburgh Fringe festival and his play Potatoes was selected for the National Student Drama Festival in 2020. Currently, he is developing a new digital show with White Noise Theatre about artificial intelligence.

Sam Essame - Workshop Facilitator and Script Reader

Sam is a writer, director and producer. He is Artistic Director of Danse Macabre Productions and is currently running the London Horror Festival Playwriting Competition. He is a script reader and regularly runs scriptwriting workshops with the London Playwright’s Blog. He is an alumnus of the HighTide Theatre Academy and Papatango’s WriteWest development programme. Recent writing credits include Host at The Space. Website: https://www.samessame.com/

Jack Pepper – Events Coordinator and Script Reader

Jack is an aspiring writer and director. He has written and directed a short play for the Strawberry One Act Festival in New York, self-produced site-specific theatre, and written for the performing arts venues the George Tavern in East London. He also volunteers at the Southwark Playhouse and The White Bear Theatre.

Nika Obydzinski – Script Consultant

Nika is thrilled to be a member of the LPB consultancy team. She has been part of the literary team at Theatre503 for several years, presently as a senior reader and reader for the 503 Playwriting Award. She previously managed the King’s Head Theatre literary department, where she also project managed the Adrian Pagan Award for new writing, produced a series of rehearsed readings at the Hope Theatre, and twice served as a judge for the Stella Wilkie Award. Her own work has been performed at the Tristan Bates Theatre, The White Bear, Lost Theatre, and BAC. She earned her MA in Text and Performance from RADA and Birkbeck College, and her BA in Drama from UC Irvine.

Deane McElree - Opportunities and Blog Intern

Deane is a writer of plays, films and prose fiction, and a graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama’s MA in Writing for Stage and Broadcast Media. He writes scripts for theatre, film, and radio, and generally works in the genres of comedy, drama, horror, and magical realism. He has also been involved in theatre as a director, actor and musician.