Bomb Factory Theatre's 2023 Showcase of New Writing: '24 Hours'
Using Molly Mae Hague’s infamous quote: ‘We all have the same 24 hours in a day’, Bomb Factory Theatre has selected six of the most exciting emerging women playwrights to create a series of mini-plays inspired by this provocation.
Judging by previous sell-out showcases, ‘24 Hours’ promises to be a captivating, unmissable production, showcasing the work of some of the most exciting, emerging new-writing talent in the UK. The Bomb Factory Theatre is a women-led, new-writing theatre company, created to platform women and non-binary playwrights and help develop their voices. Providing free dramaturgical support, workshopping and R&D facilities as well as directorial support to help the development process of our theatre makers; Bomb Factory’s showcase continues to support the company’s mission of empowering the creation of urgent, genre-defying new-work created by women and non-binary writers.
Using the concept of the quote simply as a springboard for their work, the showcase traverses many different worlds. From a society that faces the impending ban of dating apps, a house-sitter that has a very dirty secret, to an experience that promises to change your life forever, ‘24-Hours’ proves that the possibilities are limitless, especially if you want it enough.
Alumni from our previous showcase of new writing includes Tony Craze award-winner, Somebody Jones and Platform Presents Playwriting Prize runner-up Philippa Lawford.
Summer Festival of New Writing 2021
2 days celebrating new writing
THE SHORTS
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THE LONGS
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"There are 7.674 billion people in the world. 66.65 million of those 7.674 billion people live in the UK and of that 66.65 million people in the UK, 8.982 million live in London. Did you know the average person sees, not necessarily even meets, approximately 1,432,645 people in a lifetime. Now that sounds a lot but it is only 0.0001% of the world’s population that you ever even see. Everyone has a story. And this is your story" Sex. Drugs. Meal deals. Serenity prayers.
Lola Shaw
Merle Wheldon-Posner
Director
Lola is a director, actor and writer. She is about to graduate from her MA at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and recently completed the National Theatre’s playwriting course. She was selected for the Old Vic Theatre Makers program beginning this autumn.
Actress & Writer
Merle is one of the Artistic Directors of The Bomb Factory Theatre. She was shortlisted for the BBC 2019 Comedy TV writing submissions and directed the National Theatre Connection’s production for WCYT at the Bush Theatre. Merle has performed and directed at the University of Manchester, Dorchester Arts Theatre, Camden Peoples’ Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe. The most recent production she directed and starred in was shortlisted for the Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence. When she is not writing and performing, Merle works in film and television Set Decoration. Merle is represented as an actress by Lou Coulson associates.
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Somewhere in a gym in the suburbs of London, during weekly women's only gym sessions, an army of four young women are plotting to become the strongest they've ever been. But, as they prepare themselves for battle, they have to ask themselves what they're battling against; is it each other, or is it what awaits them on the outside of the four walls of the changing room? This is a work in progress extract from Girl With Wings and Trauma, a play that chronicles three seasons of growing up. It is a play about coming of age, about survival and about finding your own narrative in an age where storytelling can cost you everything, for better or for worse.
Jessy Roberts
Director
Jessy is a director and theatre maker who works in new writing and devised theatre. She is the artistic director of Teastain Theatre, who make multi-disciplinary work exploring contemporary feminist issues, and she is an associate writer of Middle Child Theatre.
India Harrison-Peppe
Writer
India is a writer and theatre-maker from London. She is an artistic director and co-founder of The Bomb Factory Theatre Company. India's one-act verse play, Upload to Clout Nine was shortlisted for the Flux Theatre Emerge Award. Currently studying an M.A. in Dramatic Writing at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, India has completed three plays during her year in Bristol; Something of my o.w.n. (Stage), Out with A Bang (Audio) and Paying for It (Stage). An extract of India's play Something of my o.w.n was performed at the Bristol Old Vic in July. India has interned at Platform Presents Production Company, completed work experience in National Theatre's Director's Office and The Royal Opera House and is a reader for The Finborough Theatre.
Sophie Walter
PIA
Sophie is a London based Actor from the Midlands. Sophie started as an actor with the NYT Rep Company in 2014, and went on the star in Macbeth, and Private Peaceful at the Ambassador's Theatre in the West End. Sophie trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Credits include: Nicholas Nickleby at the Old Vic, The Tempest at the Royal and Derngate, as well as ITV's Grantchester and The Winter Pilgrims. Sophie is about to feature in Radio 4's Theseus, and is currently filming To have a Lover where she will play Mireille.
Kate Crisp
RAYA
Kate is a London based actor from Glastonbury. She trained at LAMDA on the foundation course before attending Bristol University, studying Theatre and English. She currently performs with the music group Lynks. This summer, they performed on the main stage at Latitude festival and have been cited by the Guardian and NME as one of the top emerging artists in 2021. Kate is a writer and is currently in pre-production for a film she has written and is set to star in alongside Linus Roache.
Amelia Paltridge
LUCY
Amelia is an English half Aussie actress from Cambridge, who just graduated from Bristol Old Vic Theatre School
Eliza Smith
MEG
Eliza’s parents are from a village in West Yorkshire near Ilkley Moore. Eliza attended national youth theatre before getting into Bristol Old Vic theatre school.
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'Are you gonna... are you gonna like, change the way you dress now?'
A boy fasts. A man arrives for a dance lesson. A girl finds weeds growing under her toenails.
Fracture is a fragmented play about bodies.
Philippa
Lawford
Shannon Hayes
Marcus Harman
Finlay Stroud
Director & Writer
Actor
Actor
Actor
Philippa is a director and writer who has made work in London, Edinburgh, Oxford and Glasgow. She also runs Tightrope Theatre, and, while a student, had plays selected for the National Student Drama Festival and the Inter-University Drama Festival. She also works freelance as an assistant director, and is on the literary team at the Finborough Theatre. Philippa is now studying a Master's in Writing for Performance at the University of Cambridge, and is taking the John Burgess Playwriting Course.
Shannon trained at Bristol Old Vic and attended Oxford University.
Theatre work includes;
RAYA (Hampstead Theatre), The Gift (Theatre Royal Stratford East); Conspiracy (Barrel Organ); The Ridiculous Darkness (Gate)
Television work includes Ted Lasso; Casualty, Years and Years; Cold Feet; Kiss Me First; Vera and Undercover.
Marcus is delighted to appear in The Bomb Factory’s production of ‘Fracture’.
Marcus made his West End debut in ‘Dear Evan Hansen’. He will resume playing the lead role twice a week in October when it reopens.
Finlay is an actor and writer based in London. He has performed in a number of productions, including A Level Playing Field at Jermyn Street Theatre, Hedda at the Oxford Playhouse and As You Like It at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
He also writes and performs sketch comedy as one half of Finlay and Joe, debuting at the Edinburgh fringe festival in 2019.
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Julia trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, and previously performed in the Bomb Factory's 2020 showcase, Love Come Down.
Rachel is a British/Australian actor and Drama Centre London graduate. She has been involved in a range of commercial, theatre & film projects including a recent campaign for the Northern Ireland Electoral Commission and is also a member of The Sirrah Sisters, a female and non-binary Shakespeare company. Rachel is thrilled to be back performing with Bomb Factory Theatre after appearing in Love Come Down in February 2020.
Esmonde is a professional actor and voice-over artist, who can currently can be seen in CBBC’s ‘Still So Awkward' and Apple TV’s Ted Lasso. His theatre credits include ‘The Snow Queen’ at The Park theatre and ‘Learning To Swim’ at Criterion Theatre.
Actor
Julia Pilkington
Actor
Rachel Bardwell
Actor
Esmonde Cole
Our creative/backstage team...
Izzy Parriss
Harry Sloggett
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Producer
Lighting & Sound
Izzy produced the entire Summer Festival of New Writing as well as directing several short pieces. She also produces and directs independently and is currently developing two plays for VAULT Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. Previous to this, Izzy completed a producing internship with the New York based theatre company Yonder Window and worked freelance for a number of theatre companies including Wessex Grove and the Birmingham Rep.
Harry is a recent graduate from the University of Edinburgh. Throughout his time at university, he was able to provide the lighting design on all sizes of productions, from small improvised pieces to large musicals such as ‘Rent’ and ‘Pippin’. He is looking forward to diving back into behind-the-scenes work and doing what he loves again.