Danusia Samal Wins The Theatre503 International Playwriting Award

Danusia Samal is announced as the winner of the third biennial Theatre503 International Playwriting Award at an event at The Bridge Theatre hosted by 503 Chair Erica Whyman and Artistic Director Lisa Spirling on Thursday 22 November.

Danusia Samal is an actor, writer and singer from London who spent part of her childhood in the Middle East. She receives a £6,000 prize for her play Out of Sorts, which will be produced at Theatre503 in 2019.

Out of Sorts is a rich, funny, layered and beautifully characterised comic drama examining the conflicts that arise for the children of refugee migrants raised in the UK within two very different cultures.

The play follows Zara, who has spent her life being two people, neither of whom seem to be good enough. Living in two different worlds and being pulled in different directions she is losing her way. When her parents intervene to 'fix things', she is forced to confront her prejudice, and the charade begins to unravel. Over a family dinner and a boozy party in her flat, she finally tells the truth and works out what kind of person she might just be.

Out of Sorts was chosen from a shortlist of five plays, selected from over 2,055 scripts submitted from 49 countries. The winning play was selected by an industry panel including journalist Lyn Gardner, Audible's Commissioning Producer for Theatre Abigail Gonda, playwrights Stephen Beresford, Alice Birch, Chinonyerem Odimba and Roy Williams, and Theatre503 Artistic Director Lisa Spirling.

The other shortlisted plays were: Milk and Gall by Mathilde Dratwa, Meat by Gillian Greer, In That Short Space by Joel MacCormack, and Before Evening Comes by Philana Imade Omorotionmwan

Erica Whyman, Deputy Artistic Director of the RSC, Theatre503 Chair, Award Judging Panel Chair: 'From a very fine shortlist of impressively urgent and inventive plays, Out of Sorts touched the judges deeply. It is a delicate, intelligent, funny and profoundly revealing play, which tackles one of the central questions of our time - how to be all the parts of ourselves without falling apart. It does this with great skill and sensitivity through the lens of cultural identity, love, family and friendship. I look forward very much to seeing it on our stage.'

The announcement of the Award winner coincides with the launch of Theatre503's Spring 2019 season. Highlights include Ross Willis' fantastical fairytale about life in and after the care system, Yasmin Joseph's timely exploration on the Black British experience and sexual politics of Carnival, and Synergy Theatre Project's first major four week production. This line-up includes two plays from the venue's pioneering 503Five. To date the 18 month writers' residency has launched the careers of, amongst others, Charlene James, Lou Ramdsen, Beth Steel, Jon Brittain, Brad Birch and Vinay Patel.

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