Teaching & Community Work

Residencies

I am currently playwright-in-residence at Mulberry School for Girls, E1.

Since 2006, Mulberry has Specialist Arts status and an exciting programme of pioneering extra-curricular arts activities, of which I am one part. Due to its catchment area Mulberry is largely made up of Bangladeshi Muslim girls aged 11-19. 2008 is my second year as writer-in-residence.

Courses I have been running include:

Introduction to Playwrighting - course for students
A 10 week course introducing the craft, with one 1-hour session per week. Looks at the basic building blocks of playmaking including Character, Setting, Status & Territory, Structure, Dialogue and Re-writing, using modern exemplar texts from London ’s new writing theatres.

The course combined regular theatre trips and visits from guest speakers including playwright Tanika Gupta.

Students each wrote their own 10 minute script, which was read by professional actors brought in for a final staged reading.


Introduction to Playwrighting - course for staff
The first course of its kind in a UK school - open to staff across all departments, this is a course for adult beginners looking to develop their own creative writing skills and also pick up some tips and insights for their own teaching.

Each staff playwright wrote a 10-15 minute script which was staged in a rehearsed reading by professional actors at Half Moon Theatre under the direction of Ellie Jones.


STOLEN SECRETS
2008's critically-acclaimed new play for Mulberry Theatre Company, performed by students at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 4 stars in the Scotsman!

Mulberry School is leading the way in founding its own in-house theatre company run by theatre professionals, supported by staff. MTC offers students 'arts apprenticeships', shadowing professionals in disciplines as diverse as theatre design, assistant directing and stage management.

MEHNDI NIGHT
2007's sell-out smash hit at Edinburgh. 'A cracking piece of community theatre' (The Herald)

Ongoing
I am working regularly with Years 10, 11, 12 and 13 to help develop their ideas for their own devised drama work for GCSE and A-level.

I also run regular lunchtime advice surgeries for any students seeking guidance on any aspect of script writing or the theatre industry in general.