The two plays which won the new writing competition jointly organised by the Customs House and The Word, the National Centre for the Written Word, at South Tyneside’s WRITE Festival 2019 have been announced.
They are Peggy Pearpot by Danielle Burn, which won the over-25s category, and SafeSpace by Pearl Andrews-Horrigan who won the under-25s category.
Danielle Burn, 28, is a theatre-maker, project manager and children’s writer from Cramlington, Northumberland, who graduated from Northumbria University in 2011 with a degree in Drama, having also studied scriptwriting for a year.Her play is aimed at young children and tackles mental health issues.
She has long-standing working relationships with Northern Stage, Live Theatre, Gala Theatre, New Writing North and bait, where she has worked collaboratively with community and youth groups to devise and script productions, run Arts Award and explore creative writing.
Her first professional play, Melva, a family Christmas show by Mortal Fools focusing on the theme of mental health issues in young people aged seven to 11, which was performed in a pop-up theatre, a former hardware store, in Prudhoe by Mortal Fools
Peggy Pearpot explores the world inside a tear drop, or two, or maybe three. All tear drops belong to Peggy who just can’t stop crying! She cries when she is sad, frustrated, worried, angry, annoyed and happy. Peggy is confused and frustrated that she can’t communicate her feelings clearly to her parents, teachers or even her friends; she is beginning to get fed up.
One night, whilst examining one of her tear drops and wondering what these blobs of water really are, she is transported inside one of her own tears by Sniffle, the keeper of all the tears on earth. What sort of world is hidden inside a tear drop? Are all tears the same? Who lives inside a tear drop? Can the characters she meets help Peggy understand how to communicate her feelings and help her?
Pearl Andrews-Horrigan, 19, is a first year undergraduate at Newcastle University, studying Combined Honours in English Literature, Politics and Media.As an aspiring writer, she has had short plays performed by G64 Youth Theatre, by herself at Bristol Old Vic and professionally at SLAM, King’s Cross and the Arcola Theatre in London.
In Safespace the fate of a refuge for victims of domestic violence is thrown into doubt when the local council must vote on cuts to its funding, just as it has more residents than ever and the manager is on her honeymoon. But when a councillor's intern discovers an old friend is resident there, the matter truly becomes a question of heart or head.
Fiona Martin, Deputy Director – Learning and Participation at The Customs House, said, “The successful writers were chosen after the judging panel watched 15 minutes of each of the plays, performed by professional actors, who were directed by Gareth Hunter.
“The two plays will be produced during next year’s WRITE Festival and be performed at The Customs House.
“Both of the writers will be mentored by a dramaturg to help them to develop their writing, as part of The Customs House’s commitment to developing talent and new writing.”