Pleasance That, Pleasance Courtyard; 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh. 31 July – 25 August 12.45-13.45pm. £7.50-£9.50
Our writers were given a simple task. Write a short play without specifying gender for any of the characters. One play. No gender. Endless possibilities. A rotating line-up of 16 plays by writers from all over the world means XY is different every night.
XY is the new short play event by acclaimed new writing company Papercut Theatre.
XY is an attempt to change the culture of how writers, approach constructing gender in their work and aims to promote equality between female and male writers.
XY is curated by Scottish writer/ director Melissa Dunne. Gaining a reputation as a director and programmer, she is regularly consulted by the national media on matters of gender in theatre and was recently interviewed on BBC’s Woman’s Hour alongside Phyllida Lloyd. She is on the literary Panel for the Royal National Theatre and has directed work in venues as diverse as Theatre503, Arcola Theatre, Tristan Bates and the Houses of Parliament.
New plays are important. Creating them is important. This is why we support new writers with a view to developing them as artists rather than expecting them to deliver a product. We are committed to enhancing and developing the process by which plays are created, directed and produced. We actively interrogate the writer/director relationship and value work at all stages of the creative process not just fully realised productions.
Writers: Sara Pascoe – A highly sought after comedian and writer, Sara is presently developing many of her own TV and radio projects Alia Bano – Won the Charles Wintour award for most promising playwright at the Evening Standard Awards for her play SHADES as well as the Critics’ Circle Theatre Award for most promising playwright Gabriel Bisset-Smith – Was nominated for an Off West End most promising playwright award Rose Lewenstein – AIN’T NO LAW AGAINST FISH ‘N’ CHIPS, Royal Court Young Writer’s Festival Reading Stephen Sharkey – THE MAY QUEEN Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse THE RESISTIBLE RISE OF ARTURO UI Liverpool Playhouse/ Nottingham Playhouse Jessica Sian – KLIPPIES Hightide Festival Peter Cant * Lisa Carroll * Afsaneh Gray * Eve Leigh * German Munoz * Rebecca Walker * Tobias Wright * Kim Yaged * John Yates
Directors: Peter Cant ((Associate Artist, Barbican Theatre ‘Unleashed’/ Associate Director, Théâtre l’Odéon, Paris) Amanda Castro ~ Poppy Corbett ~ Melissa Dunne ~ Antonio Ferrara ~ Tom Mansfield~ Erica Miller Susannah Tresilian (Associate director for NEAT festival 2011 & 2014, Associate Director for the Ensemble Théâtral Européen and European Theatre Convention)
Having previously had sell-out runs at the acclaimed Theatre 503 – XY has two Edinburgh previews at the aforementioned venue before commencing their month long run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
