Winsome Pinnock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Winsome Pinnock
Born1961 (age 59–60)
Islington, London, England
OccupationPlaywright
LanguageEnglish
NationalityBritish
EducationElizabeth Garrett Anderson School
Alma materGoldsmiths, University of London
Notable worksLeave Taking; Talking in Tongues; Mules

Winsome Pinnock FRSL (born 1961) is a British playwright of Jamaican heritage, who is "probably Britain's most well known black female playwright".[1] She was described in The Guardian as "the godmother of black British playwrights".[2]

Life[]

Winsome Pinnock was born in Islington, North London, to parents who were both migrants from Smithville, Jamaica. Her mother was a cleaner, and her father a checker at Smithfield Meat Market.[3] Pinnock attended Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Comprehensive Girls' School (formerly Starcross School) in Islington, and graduated from Goldsmiths' College, University of London (1979–82) with a BA (Joint Honours) degree in English and Drama,[4] and in 1983 from Birkbeck College, University of London, with an MA degree in Modern Literature in English.[5]

Pinnock's award-winning plays include The Winds of Change (Half Moon Theatre, 1987), Leave Taking (Liverpool Playhouse Studio, 1988; National Theatre, 1995),[6] Picture Palace (commissioned by the Women's Theatre Group, 1988),[7] A Hero's Welcome (Women's Playhouse Trust at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1989), A Rock in Water (Royal Court Young People's Theatre at the Theatre Upstairs, 1989; inspired by the life of Claudia Jones),[8] Talking in Tongues (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, 1991), Mules (Clean Break, 1996) and One Under (Tricycle Theatre, 2005).[9] She also adapted Jean Rhys' short story "Let Them Call It Jazz" for BBC Radio 4 in 1998, and has written screenplays and television episodes.[6]

Pinnock has been Visiting Lecturer at Royal Holloway College, University of London, and Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of Cambridge. She lectures at Kingston University, London.[5]

Awards[]

  • 1991 George Devine Award
  • Unity Theatre Trust Award
  • Pearson Plays on Stage Award For Best Play of the Year
  • 2018 Alfred Fagon Award[10][11]

Selected works[]

  • The Winds Of Change, Half Moon Theatre, London, 1987.
  • Leave Taking, Playhouse, Liverpool, and National Theatre, London, 1988. Bush Theatre, May 2018.[12]
  • Picture Palace, Women's Theatre Group, London, 1988.
  • A Rock In Water, Royal Court Young People's Theatre at the Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1989.[13] Published in Black Plays: 2, ed. Yvonne Brewster, London: Methuen Drama, 1989.
  • A Hero's Welcome, Women's Playhouse Trust at the Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1989.
  • Talking In Tongues, Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London, 1991. Published in The Methuen Drama Book of Plays by Black British Writers, Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2011, ISBN 978-1408131244
  • Mules, Clean Break, Royal Court Theatre, London, 1996
  • Can You Keep a Secret?, Cottesloe Theatre, National Theatre, London, 1999
  • Water, Tricycle Theatre, London, 2000.
  • One Under, Tricycle Theatre, London, 2005.
  • IDP, Tricycle Theatre, London, 2006[14]
  • Taken, Soho Theatre, London, 2010.
  • Her Father's Daughter, BBC Radio 4.
  • The Dinner Party, BBC Radio 4.
  • Lazarus, BBC Radio 3, 2013.
  • The Principles of Cartography, Bush Theatre, 2017.
  • Rockets and Blue Lights, 2018

Further reading[]

References[]

  1. ^ Goddard, Lynette (2004). "West IndiesvsEngland in Winsome Pinnock's Migration Narratives". Contemporary Theatre Review. 14 (4): 23–33. doi:10.1080/10486800412331296291. S2CID 191553025.
  2. ^ Kolawole, Helen, "Look who's taking the stage", The Guardian, 26 July 2003.
  3. ^ Dowd, Vincent (18 March 2020). "The playwright spotlighting Britain's black history". BBC News. Retrieved 19 March 2020.
  4. ^ Bartholomew, Roy, "A bare shoulder to cry on", The Independent, 23 April 1996.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Kingston University London.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Nicola, Abram (2015). "Looking Back: Winsome Pinnock's Politics of Representation". In Brewer, Mary F.; Lynette Goddard; Deirdre Osborne (eds.). Modern and Contemporary Black British Drama. London: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 95–111. ISBN 9781137506290.
  7. ^ Aston, Elaine (2003). Feminist Views on the English Stage: Women Playwrights, 1990-2000. Cambridge University Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-521-80003-7.
  8. ^ Peacock, D. Keith, "Chapter 9: So People Know We're Here: Black Theatre in Britain" in Thatcher's Theatre: British Theatre and Drama in the Eighties, Greenwood Press, 1999, p. 179.
  9. ^ "Winsome Pinnock", Drama Online.
  10. ^ "2018 Award", Alfred Fagon Award.
  11. ^ Snow, Georgia, "Winsome Pinnock wins 2018 Alfred Fagon Award", The Stage, 9 November 2018.
  12. ^ Leave Taking at Bush Theatre (24 May–30 June 2018).
  13. ^ "Rock In Water, A". National Theatre Black Plays Archive. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  14. ^ Winsome Pinnock page at Doolee.com.

Sources[]

External links[]

Retrieved from ""