PLAYWRITING

Infinite possibilities of the empty stage

My passion for theatre has been a lifelong journey. From an early age, I was captivated by the grandeur of the theatres I visited as a child—the ornate foyers, the sweeping auditoriums. Even then, I felt a deep, visceral connection to the stage and its potential to share stories, creating that ephemeral magic that exists only in the moment, in the shared time and space between the audience and the company on stage. As a young box office clerk at the Billingham Forum Theatre in my native Teesside, I often spent my breaks in the empty auditorium, scribbling ideas for plays by the ghost light, inspired by the infinite possibilities of the empty stage.

My professional playwriting career began in 2004, when I placed a classified ad in the back of The Stage newspaper (to supplement my ushering income from the London Palladium). This led to several licensed productions of my first pantomime script, Jack & The Beanstalk. This early success sparked a writing journey that took me from the rawness and intimacy of the London fringe to world premiere productions on international stages.

Today, I strive to craft work that provokes, challenges, and excites me at my desk, just as I hope it will captivate audiences in the theatre.