Soho Theatre Announces Writers for SOHO SIX 2012

Continuing Soho Theatre's commitment to nurturing new talent and providing a platform for new writers to develop and present their work, the group has announced the Soho Six for 2012: Christopher William Hill, Shappi Khorsandi, Ben Lewis, Duncan Macmillan, Olga Nikora, and Paula B. Stanic.

The Soho Six is a programme initiated by Steve Marmion when he became Artistic Director in 2010. Six writers from contrasting backgrounds take up residency at Soho Theatre for six months, with the task of creating a piece of work for one of our stages. The writers will become fully integrated within every aspect of theatre's activities; from education projects through to engaging with the leading artists performing at Soho Theatre. Last year's Soho Six included Bryony Kimmings whose hugely successful play 7 Day Drunk was performed in Soho Downstairs in March 2012, we are also excited to be shortly announcing the runs of two further plays from the 2011 Soho Six.

On the appointment of the Soho Six Steve Marmion said: 'I am thrilled to have such a talented and diverse group of writers joining our team at Soho Theatre. The Soho Six is a brilliant way for us to support artists as they develop new ideas with the very direct and clear focus of creating work to be performed as part of our programme.'

Chritopher William Hillis currently under commission to Hampstead Theatre (Footnotes) and Plymouth Theatre Royal (Credible Threats). Theatre credits include: Exotic Tastes (Arcola Theatre); Heartbreak Beautiful (National Theatre Connections, 2009); Inglorious Technicolour (Stephen Joseph Theatre, 2006); Multiplex (National Theatre Connections, 2003); Song of the Western Men (Minerva Theatre Chichester, 2002); Blood Red, Saffron Yellow (Plymouth Theatre Royal, 2001) and LAM (Northcott Theatre Exeter, 1999). Christopher has written several plays for BBC Radio 4; his credits include: Marmalade for Comrade Philby (starring Bill Nighy); Says it on the Tin (6 part series, 2009); Killing Maestros (Original Play, starring Bill Nighy 2003) which won the BAFTA for Best Radio Play.

Shappi Khorsandi, award-winning comedian and regular on TV's Live at the Apollo, Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, Have I Got News For You and many more, Shappi delights audiences with her wit, warmth and hilarity.Shappi has also taken part in BBC 4′s The Big Read. Shappi is a sought after cultural commentator appearing on ITV's Sunday Edition, BBC Radio 4′s Woman's Hour, Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service & LBC and also in the Guardian, Independent, Metro and on BBC News website. She was also a panelist on BBC's Question Time.

Ben Lewis is a writer, performer and director. He is Joint Artistic Director of Inspector Sands, co-creating their award-winning shows Hysteria and If That's All There Is, which have toured extensively in the UK and internationally, most recently to China and the USA. Their latest show, Mass Observation, will premiere at the Almeida in July, whilst a new show for under-5's, Rock Pool, was the recent winner of the Sprout commission. In addition, he has created two pieces of music theatre in collaboration with Dafydd James, The Village Social (National Theatre Wales) and My Name Is Sue (winner of a Total Theatre Award).

Duncan Macmillan is a London-based writer, director and lecturer. He is the author of Lungs (Rolling World Premiere with the Studio Theatre, Washington DC and Paines Plough/Sheffield Theatres). Lungs was recently nominated for the Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding Play or Musical at the Helen Hayes/Theatre Washington Awards and is being produced in several cities in the US. His play Monster (Royal Exchange, part of the Manchester International Festival) won two awards in the inaugural Bruntwood Playwriting Competition and was nominated in the Best New Play category of the MEN and TMA Awards.

Olga Nikora is a playwright who was born in Transnistria, a region in the former USSR. As a child she later lived in Moldova. The civil war in 1992 and the general chaos associated with the breakdown of the Soviet Union had prompted the move to New Zealand in her teenage years. Olga began writing while studying for her law degree. Her first play Tightrope Bonnie was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award. Her second play In the Company of Strangers received a staged reading at Soho Theatre.

Paula B. Stanic grew up in Manor Park, East London. Her work includes What's Lost, recipient of the 2008 Alfred Fagon Award, Pancras Boys Club a promenade theatre piece co-writtenwith Ben Musgrave and David Watson (Only Connect Theatre) and 6 Minutes part of 'Everything Must Go' (Soho Theatre). Monday was written for theEmerge Festival, Leeds (Red Ladder Theatre Co), it was short-listed for the 2009 John Whiting Award. She has written short pieces for The Bush, Soho Theatre, Tangle Theatre Company and Islington Community Theatre. Paula was the 2010 Adrienne Benham writer on attachment at Theatre Centre where she wrote Under a Foreign Sky (toured Autumn 2011). She is currently on attachment at The National Theatre Studio.

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