Theatre launches playwriting competition in tribute to comedy legend
Birmingham Repertory Theatre has launched a special tribute to comedy legend Victoria Wood - on what would have been her 70th birthday.
Sean Foley, the double Olivier Award-winning artistic director of the Theatre, announced the creation of the first ever major playwriting prize dedicated to the art of comedy recently as well as the UK premiere of Bhangra Nation - A New Musical.
The Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy in partnership with The Victoria Wood Foundation is the brainchild of Foley, who is renowned for writing and directing comedies.
He said: “It 's a personal thrill that The Rep is now able to announce The Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize For Comedy in partnership with the Victoria Wood Foundation.
“To have a new major playwriting prize in our industry is cause for celebration itself - never has the need for supporting new plays been greater - but to have this prize dedicated to the art of comedy, perhaps the most difficult genre of all, is ground breaking.
“A fitting tribute to Victoria Wood 's trailblazing comic talent, this will be the first major playwriting Prize for narrative stage comedy in the world, and will be open to all. The Rep is proud that the home of the Prize is in the UK 's most diverse and youngest City, the city of one of Victoria 's major collaborators, Dame Julie Walters, and the city of so many contemporary comedians and writers such as Lenny Henry, Joe Lycett, and Meera Syal. It is of course also the city where Victoria Wood herself went to university to study Drama. ”
The prize has been made possible thanks to the support of The Victoria Wood Foundation, a charity set up as a result of Victoria's last will and testimony. Many of the trustees were friends of Victoria, and they support aspects of the arts that interested Victoria in her lifetime.
The winner will receive £25,000 ( £10,000 of which will be the play commission.) Submissions will be accepted from September 2023, and the winner announced in Spring 2024. Full competition rules and regulations will be on the Birmingham Rep website in due course.
Also announced today is Little Red Riding Hood, a REP Original Production, which will run in The Door from 7 December 2023 to 6 January 2024. With a modern twist on the children 's classic fairytale, a new version of Little Red Riding Hood Is being created by The Rep especially for children aged 3 to 6 years old. The show takes place in The Rep 's smallest performance space, The Door, offering an intimate introduction to the theatre and a special experience for young audiences.
Sean Foley added: ''To be partnering with Bhangra Nation 's world class creative team, and co-producing this new musical with Mara Isaacs and Tom Kirdahy in the city that is the home of modern Bhangra is a thrill for everyone at The Rep. Little Red Riding Hood is our second Christmas show produced especially for young audiences, and we 're excited to welcome the newest of theatregoers through our doors. We hope Birmingham will take both these extraordinary shows to its heart. ”
For tickets visit The Rep 's website, call 0121 236 4455 or visit the box office during opening hours.