Playwriting commission: Spotlight falls on women in science

Posted on Tuesday 26 September 2017

The commission, worth £5,000, is for a play under 70 minutes long which celebrates women working in science from an historical, archival, contemporary or experimental perspective.

Under the supervision of a professional director, the play will be performed by a cast of between four to 10 undergraduate student actors in June 2018. The initiative is led by the University’s Department of Theatre, Film and Television, which will stage the new play in its superb Scenic Stage Theatre.

Dr Karen Quigley, of the Department of Theatre, Film and Television, said: “We are very pleased to offer this exciting new commission which underlines the University of York’s commitment to the Athena SWAN Charter and its ongoing work to address gender equality at all levels of university life.

“We are seeking a playwright who self-identifies as a woman and who is passionate about the idea of writing about women in science. We are interested in the play being celebratory, potentially pushing boundaries in terms of form as well as content, and we are particularly excited by ideas of forgotten or under-explored figures or stories around this subject.”

Applications should be submitted to Karen Quigley (karen.quigley@york.ac.uk) by 20 October 2017 and should include a summary of the proposed play (no longer than four pages) and a current Curriculum Vitae. Find out more about the commission.