Francesca Beard

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Francesca Beard (b. 1968 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia) is a writer and performance poet. She has been based in London for much of her adult life and cites the city as a major inspiration in her work. She has represented contemporary British Literature all over the world, from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria to Colombia, in all sorts of venues, from a Moscow Library to a Melbourne jazz club. She likes apples and soup and is mother to 2 bouncing baby girls. She is currently touring a one-woman show, ‘Chinese Whispers’. 'Chinese Whispers' is produced by Apples and Snakes, Britain's foremost performance poetry organisation, directed by Arlette Kim George, with lighting by Flick Ansell, costumes by Hardy Bleckman of Maharishi and original visuals by Jason Larkin. Long-time collaborator Piers Faccini composed the music for the show. Piers and Francesca were co-founders of musical collective 'Charley Marlowe' which disbanded in 2002. Piers Faccini has gone on to release successful album 'Leave No Trace' on LaBel Bleu and is working on an eagerly awaited second album.

Francesca Beard runs regular workshops and masterclasses in schools and organisations in Britain and abroad. She has been writer-in-residence at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and the Metropolitan Police and run workshops for many institutions, including the British Library, the National Theatre and the Natural History Museum. In May 2005, her first radio play, ‘The Healing Pool’ was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and London Live.

As a playwright, her work will be showcased in Pentabus Theatre's production of Open White Spaces at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has had a short play on at the Royal Court and is one of The Fifty 'most promising new writers in Britain' currently on attachment to the Royal Court and the BBC. She is currently developing a new show, working title, ‘London Tales’, with Apples and Snakes, under the mentorship of Lisa Goldman, supported by the Arts Council, England.