Hightide Reveals First Group of Mentors For New Hightide Writer's Group

HighTide has announced the six mentors for the new HighTide Writer’s Group. The mentors are Alice Birch, Jez Butterworth, Lolita Chakrabarti, Dennis Kelly, Anoushka Lucas and Winsome Pinnock.
 

Each of the six mentors will support one of the inaugural cohort of playwrights for HighTide Writer’s Group. The mentors will advise the East of England playwrights on how to develop their scripts and help strategise their future steps as they embark on a paid year-long development programme facilitated by leading playwrights Juliet Gilkes Romero and Tim Price. 

The six writers are currently working towards a presentation of new work at HighTide Rising. The company’s annual one-day play reading festival will this year take place in Ipswich on 23 November at the Eastern Angles Centre and will include rehearsed readings, workshops and events.
 

Alice Birch is supporting Clare Currie, Jez Butterworth is supporting Rosa Torr, Lolita Chakrabarti is supporting Esohe Uwadiae, Dennis Kelly is supporting Marie Cooper, Anoushka Lucas is supporting Ted Marriott and Winsome Pinnock is supporting Anoop Singh.

Clare Slater, Artistic Director of HighTide said today, “One of the greatest gifts you can give a playwright is the ear of another, exceptional playwright.  We asked our HighTide Writer's Group to dream of their ideal mentor - and I was delighted to find that all of their first choices said "yes".  This speaks to the generosity of these leading writers.  I'm beyond grateful to them for their time and to Tim and Juliet who are leading a world-class, year-long programme for this year's group.  Come and see what they're working on at HighTide Rising in Ipswich on 23 November.”
 

The new HighTide Writers Group is generously funded by the Foyle Foundation and the Noël Coward Foundation.

Alice Birch is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. Her theatre credits include [Blank] (Donmar Warehouse), La Maladie de La Mort(Bouffes du Nord), Anatomy of a Suicide (Royal Court Theatre), Little Light (Orange Tree Theatre), Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again (The Other Palace) and Many Moons (Theatre503). Adapted plays include The House of Bernada Alba (National Theatre), Orlando (Schaubühne Berlin) and Ophelias Zimmer (Royal Court Theatre, Schaubühne Berlin). Screenwriting credits include Dead Ringers, Normal People, The Wonder, Succession and Lady Macbeth.

Jez Butterworth is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. His writing credits include The Hills of California (Harold Pinter Theatre, Broadhurst Theatre), The Ferryman (Royal Court, Gielgud Theatre, Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre), The River (Royal Court Theatre, Greenwich Theatre, Circle in the Square), Jerusalem (Royal Court Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Music Box Theatre), Parlour Song (Almeida Theatre), The Winterling, The Night Heron and Mojo (Royal Court Theatre). His screenwriting credits include Fair Game, Get On Up, Edge Of Tomorrow, Black Mass, Spectre, Ford v Ferrari and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Lolita Chakrabarti is an award-winning playwright and actress. Her writing credits include Red Velvet (Tricycle Theatre, Garrick Theatre), Life of Pi (Sheffield Theatres, Wyndham’s Theatre, ART Boston, Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre), Invisible Cities (Manchester International Festival, Brisbane Festival), Hymn and Hamnet. Her acting credits include Fanny & Alexander (The Old Vic) and Hamlet (RADA). Her television credits include Vigil, Showtrial, Wheel of Time, To Provide All People, Delicious, Born to Kill, Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, Vera, Jekyll and Hyde, My Mad Fat Diary, Death in Paradise, One Night, Smoke, Outnumbered, A Casual Vacancy, Riviera, Criminal and Defending The Guilty; and radio, This Thing of Darkness on BBC Radio 4.

Dennis Kelly is a writer and producer. His writing credits include Matilda (Cambridge Theatre), Girls and Boys (Royal Court Theatre, Minetta Lane Theatre), Pinocchio (National Theatre), Our Teacher’s a Troll (National Theatre of Scotland, UK tour), The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas (Frankfurt Schauspielhaus, Royal Court Theatre), The Gods Weep (Hampstead Theatre), Orphans (Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Soho Theatre, UK tour), DNA (National Theatre), Taking Care of Baby (Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Hampstead Theatre), Love and Money (Young Vic, Manchester Royal Exchange), After the End (Bush Theatre, UK tour, St Petersburg, New York), Osama the Hero (Hampstead Theatre) and Debris (Theatre503, Battersea Arts Centre, Traverse Theatre). Adapted plays include From Morning Til Midnight (National Theatre), The Prince of Homburg (Donmar Warehouse) and Rose Bernd (Arcola Theatre). His television credits include The Third Day, Utopia, Spooks and Pulling; and for film, Matilda: The Musical, Together, The Third Day: Autumn, The Circuit and Black Sea.

Anoushka Lucas is a playwright, singer, songwriter and actress. She wrote and starred in Elephant at Bush Theatre. Her other theatre credits include Oklahoma! (Young Vic, Wyndham’s Theatre), Henry V (Donmar Warehouse), After Life (National Theatre), Jesus Christ Superstar (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre), Chiaroscuro (Bush Theatre), Faces in the Crowd (Gate Theatre), and Sparks (Edinburgh Festival Fringe / Vault Festival). For film, her work includes Murder on the Orient Express and Been So Long. Her recording work includes her debut album Dark Soul (debut album); and her composition includes Sparks (BBC Radio 4 / Edinburgh Festival / Vault Festival), The Ballad of Klook and Vinette (Park Theatre / NAMT Festival NYC), and The Etienne Sisters (Theatre Royal Stratford).

Winsome Pinnock is a playwright and dramaturg. Her writing includes Rockets and Blue Lights (Kiln Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, BBC 3’s Lockdown Theatre Festival), One Under (UK tour), Leave Taking (Bush Theatre, Liverpool Playhouse, National Theatre), The Principles of Cartography (Bush Theatre), Glutathione (Young Vic), Tituba (Hampstead Theatre), Cleaning Up (Oval House), Taken (Soho Theatre), IDP, Water (Kiln Theatre), The Stowaway (Plymouth Theatre), Mules (Young Vic, Ahmanson Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, Magic Theatre),Can You Keep a Secret? (National Theatre), Talking in Tongues, A Hero’s Welcome, A Rock in Water (Royal Court Theatre), The Wind of Change(Half Moon Theatre) and Picture Palace (Sphinx Theatre). Her television credits include Bitter Harvest, Chalkface and South of The Border.