Pearson Playwrights' Scheme
Pearson Playwrights' Scheme (formerly Thames Television Theatre Writers Scheme) is a British organisation established in 1973 to support theatre writing. It runs the Pearson Award for Best New Play.
History[]
In 1973, Howard Thomas, then managing director of Thames Television, launched the Thames Television Theatre Writers Scheme to support and celebrate new writing in the theatre. He believed that television owed much to the theatre for its supply of creative talent. In 1993 Pearson PLC took over the sponsorship of the scheme and it became the Pearson Playwrights' Scheme.[1][2] Over the past 30 years,[when?] the scheme has helped launch some of the finest British play-writing talent. Each year, bursaries are awarded to new writers and an additional award is offered to the writer of the best play. These are selected by the scheme's panel, chaired by Sir John Mortimer CBE QC.[3] The awards are called the Pearson Award for Best New Play.
Since 2014 the scheme has been sponsored by [4]
Panel and patrons[]
The panel has included Michael Billington, Thelma Holt CBE, , Catherine Johnson, Beryl Bainbridge DBE and John Tydeman.
Patrons include Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE, Alan Bleasdale, Stephen Daldry, Dame Judi Dench, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Peter Hall CBE, Sir Jeremy Isaacs, Joan Plowright CBE, Sir Tom Stoppard and Sue Townsend.
The scheme is administrated by Jack Andrews MBE, and is supported by The Peggy Ramsay Foundation and The Olivier Foundation.
Pearson Award for Best New Play[]
Winners of the Pearson Award for Best New Play, awarded annually since 1982.
- 1982 by Hanif Kureshi (Royal Court Theatre)
- 1983 True Dare Kiss by Debbie Horsfield (Liverpool Playhouse)
- 1984 No award given
- 1985 by Martin Allen (Hampstead Theatre)
- 1986 by Mark Power (, Coventry)
- 1987 by (Bush Theatre)
- 1988 No award given
- 1989 Poor Beast in the Rain by Billy Roche (Bush Theatre)
- 1990 by Allan Cubitt (Guildhall School)
- 1991 by Winsome Pinnock (Royal Court Theatre) & by Catherine Johnson (Bush Theatre)
- 1992 by Paul Sirett (Theatre Royal, Stratford)
- 1993 No award given
Scheme taken over from Thames by Pearson.
- 1994 by (Royal National Theatre)
- 1995 by Joe Penhall (Royal National Theatre)
- 1996 The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh (Royal National Theatre)
- 1997 by Peter Moffat (Warehouse Theatre)
- 1998 by Charlotte Jones (Octagon Theatre, Bolton)
- 1999 by Gary Mitchell (Royal National Theatre)
- 2000 by Helen Blakeman (Bush Theatre)
- 2001 by Simon Stephens (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester)
- 2002 by Gary Owen (Paines Plough) & Honeymoon Suite by Richard Bean (Royal National Theatre)
- 2003 by Gregory Burke (Royal National Theatre)
- 2004 by (Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester)
- 2005 Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade (Finborough Theatre). Play produced at the Royal Court Theatre.
- 2006 by Steve Thompson (Bush Theatre)
References[]
- ^ Pearson Playwrights' Scheme writersservices.com
- ^ Shenton's View, The Nurturing of New Playwrights The Stage
- ^ "Thirty years of the Pearson Playwrights' Scheme" National Theatre
- ^ http://www.channel4.com/info/press/news/c4-takes-over-pearson-playwrights-scheme-in-its-40th-anniversary-year
- 1973 establishments in the United Kingdom
- Arts organizations established in 1973
- British writers' organisations
- Cultural organisations based in London