Nathan Queeley-Dennis Wins Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting

The debut play by Nathan Queeley-Dennis has won overall 2022 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting. The Birmingham-born actor takes home £16k prize for first play Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz, 'a joyful galloping hymn to Black friendship and love and tender masculinity'.

Nathan Queeley-Dennis is an actor born and raised in Erdington, Birmingham. His acting credits include Black Love (Kiln Theatre) written by Chinonyerem Odimba, Really Big and Really Loud (Paines Plough) written by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and A Taste of Honey (National Theatre). Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz is his first play, which follows Nathaniel; a young man on his journey of self-discovery as he explores Black masculinity through Beyoncé lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship a man has with his barber.

The judges said:"Nathan's voice bursts off the page in this vibrant, laugh-out-loud, and ultimately moving tribute to being young and on the rise in Birmingham. In a moment when joy is so easily diminished, this absolutely joyful shout feels like the most radical, political statement of all: to remind us that our birthright as humans is not just to survive, but to thrive."

The Judges Award went to Ipswich-based writer, producer and actor Martha Loader for Bindweed, which explores domestic violence.

For more information on the prize, click here.