Playwright at Your Table

Take your seats and listen in as leading playwrights read you their play in a secret location around the building. An intimate experience and a one-off chance to hear the writer's chosen play in their own voice – they may even ask you to take part too. Writers will include: Moira Buffini, Leo Butler, Caryl Churchill, John Donnelly, David Eldridge, Robert Evans, David Greig, Tanika Gupta, Terry Johnson, Dennis Kelly, Joe Penhall, Penelope Skinner, Simon Stephens and Roy Williams. Arrive at 10am for tea, bacon sarnies and a tombola to select your chance encounter "Sitting at the same table as a playwright and hearing them read their script aloud can be the most raw, insightful and moving productions of a play you will ever get ... and perhaps even the most definitive. None of those pesky actors fluffing or paraphrasing their lines, and no sign of a director with their various safety nets and conjuring tricks. Just the words as they were written, naked, with every pause and exclamation as they were meant to be. “I always try and read my plays aloud to a director before a rehearsal so that they (and myself)can begin to discover what the play is really driving at, and, for that same reason, I always encourage my playwriting students to read their plays aloud to each other too ... and, of course, to have a lovely cup of tea and a chat with the writer about it afterwards. “So when Vicky Featherstone handed out the keys to the Court, I immediately thought that this deliciously intimate treat - with a menu of exciting playwrights to choose from - should be offered to the public too." Leo Butler, Playwright Age Guidance 14+