Writers at work
Did you know we commission writers to create new plays? Find out more from Headlong’s Literary Manager and Dramaturg, Frank Peschier.
A key pillar of our work at Headlong is new writing, the lifeblood of theatre.
In a landscape where new work feels continually under pressure, we are incredibly lucky to be in constant conversation with some of the best storytellers in the UK and beyond. We are led by the artists and ideas we’re excited to work with and bring to new audiences.
We are less interested in asking ‘why this play right now?’ Rather our concept of relevance is rooted in thinking: ‘Why this play in twenty years?’
We are ridiculously ambitious and want nothing less than to influence and rebalance the UK theatrical canon and landscape. We have seen how plays like The Effect, Enron (Lucy Prebble), Chiamerica (Lucy Kirkwood) and People, Places, Things (Duncan MacMillan) maintain their urgency and relevance long beyond their first outing.
teasers and top tips
We currently have 14 writers on commission. All at various stages from initial idea, to work slated for forthcoming seasons. With only one of these projects officially announced (yet!), we spoke to a selection of our commissioned playwrights for a peek into their new work, and a top tip for getting that first draft done.
Rhashan Stone
Rhashan Stone spent a year as part of the core Headlong artistic team, sharing his expertise as both an actor and playwright.
He recently finished the first draft of his ‘epic, mischievous and prescient’ classical re-envisioning, clocking in at over 200 pages.
His secret to getting it done?
‘Don’t put pressure on yourself to write if it’s not coming, but always be doing something. Reading, researching, walking - it doesn't matter so much as long as you are doing something. Then once you start writing, don’t worry whether or not it's good - just get something down!’
Chloë Moss
We are very excited to be working once again with the incredible Chloë Moss. Previously we produced her political thriller at sea Corrina, Corrina (2022). In her new work she is exploring ‘grief, growth and grifting’. Chloë encourages you to never sign off for the day without a next steps plan.
‘Working out where you are going to pick up tomorrow’ can save you ‘hours of procrastination drenched in dread’.
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm
Olivier winning Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, however, is a strong defender of productive procrastination. She encourages finding the freedom in it, understanding it as a necessary part of the process:
‘Embrace it! Incorporate it into your practice!’.
Her ‘funny, scary and joyous’ play has so far been explored through a rather raucous table read and had the Headlong team indulging in a classic horror watch-a-thon…
Charlie Josephine
We’d expect nothing less from Charlie Josephine than his encouragement to work ‘hard and fast’ in order to get the first draft of a play out.
He is working on a ‘rebellious, big and brave’ play with music. A testament to his ability to create heroic and hilarious worlds onstage and change the conversation beyond it.
Joel Tan
Singaporean playwright Joel Tan brings his skill in weaving global stories to his ‘dark, violent, continent crossing’ odyssey. For someone so brilliant in turning complexity into drama, his top tip is refreshingly pragmatic:
‘If I'm feeling stuck while editing, I sometimes change the font, or type the whole play out working off a hardcopy to get my brain going again!’
Ella Road
One commission that we can talk about in less cloak and dagger terms is our forthcoming production of ROBOTA by Ella Road (The Phlebotomist, Fair Play, Black Mirror).
Inspired by a one hundred year old Czech play which originated the word ‘robot’, it’s a ‘head spinning, algorithmic, intimate’ exploration of what it means to be human.
Ella’s advice to writers:
‘If at all possible, save reading the news or thinking about anything practical or logistical for after the first good writing session of the day!’ And put your phone in the fridge’.
