Biography

I started my writing (and performing) career as a performance poet at open mic nights:

and began writing children's plays shortly afterwards for the drama groups I taught in my gap year.

At university I was really fortunate to be trained by some terrific playwrights, specifically Phil Smith and James MacDonald, but also with lectures by Abi Morgan, David Eldridge, Kaite O'Reilly, Jennifer Saunders and Tony Robinson.

(I know that’s a lot of names to drop all at once, but I promise that’s all I’m going to do)

In my second year I travelled to France to train at The Centre Selavy in Commedia dell'Arte and was thoroughly hooked. I still love to play around with archetypes and slapstick- the timing and precision of this style of performance seeps into my dramas as well as my comedies.

When I returned from France I became involved with the university sketch show "A Meeting About Laughter" in which I wrote and performed: that led to a full-scale production at the Exeter Phoenix. I also started performing stand up comedy, and entered the “So You Think You’re Funny?” competition.

I took Exeter's playwriting module, which helped me to write "A Prod in the Right Direction", a Commedia-inspired play working with some of the stock characters. After that I wrote, produced and voiced a WW1 radio docu-drama "Everyone Sang" to compliment the Northcott Theatre's production of "O! What a lovely War". I worked with some amazing young performers on it, and was able to create something educational, entertaining and atmospheric from virtually nothing. I am incredibly proud of the piece and would love to find it a home in the future.

Just before my graduation "A Prod in the Right Direction" won the Search for a Script Award with Theatre West. They produced the play at the Alma Tavern, and I'm delighted to say it had a sell-out run of two weeks. I consider my time sitting anonymously amongst that whooping, giggling audience as one of the best moments of my life.

In 2006 I joined the Young Writers Programme at The Royal Court and took the ten-week course taught by Leo Butler. I produced many sketches, short plays and monologues throughout the course and also another full-length play, "The Scene", a love triangle set to the backdrop of sado-masochism.

From there myself and fellow YWP playwright Kevin Kautzman set up The Lucky Dogs, a group for actors and writers to test-drive their material. I now run the British group and Kevin runs the American arm. We regularly produce "Writers Buffets" on either side of the pond to showcase short bursts of all our writers' work. Our latest project, 666 At The Tristan Bates garner the comment "The Lucky Dogs, a playwrights' collective based in London is doing a sterling job of creating and developing new performance work." from RemoteGoat.

This year has been thrilling for me, with six productions in as many months, including winning the Bite Size International Playwriting Competition, having a short play at the Brighton Fringe Festival, a special mention in the review of short play event 666 at the Tristan Bates Theatre, readings at Theatre 503 and a drama commission by First Draft Theatre. Have a look at the Productions page to see photos and reviews...