blank Pages

blank Pages (formerly First Draft Theatre Company) is a London based theatre company, specialising in new writing.

Contents 1 Concept 2 History 3 Creatives 4 Venues 5 Performances 6 Company successes 7 References

Concept

Every three months, two new plays are written by specially commissioned playwrights, giving their take on a topic inspired by recent news events. These plays are then staged, using directors and actors who had not met before, even at audition^[1].

History

First Draft Theatre Company (usually abbreviated to First Draft) was set up by Suzanne Enoch in February 2006^[2]. The first selection of plays were Operation New Life by Katy Darby and Underground Resistance by Michael Ayres^[3]. The company was renamed as blank Pages in 2010^[4].

Creatives

Directors who have worked for the company include Alison King and Sian Thomas^[5]. Actors include Chandrika Chevli^[6].

Venues

Venues used by the company include Barons Court Theatre, The Bedford, The Dogstar, Hen and Chickens Theatre, Inn on The Green and King's Head Theatre^[7].

Performances

Since changing its name to blank pages, the company has put on the following productions:

• Ferry Lights by Claudia Ward, directed by Claire Robbin, in August 2010^[8].
• Tomorrow We Build Our Jerusalem by Michael Ross, directed by Hugh Allison, in August 2010^[9].
• Light Fittings by Alice Birch, directed by Claire Robbin, in November 2010^[10].
• The Woman Who by Maev Mac Coille, directed by Hugh Allison, in November 2010^[11].
• To have or not To have by CS Flint, directed by Perdie Hatton-Brown, in February 2011^[12].
• seems like I've got too much of it since by Chris Bennion, directed by Kimberley Sykes, in February 2011^[13].
• Transactions by Peter Norgate, directed by Dan Skili, in May 2011^[14].
• Common Ground by Katy Darby, directed by Bethany Pitts, in May 2011^[15].
• No Signal by Antony Dunford, directed by Daryl Wild, in November 2011^[16].

These have all been performed at the Dogstar in Brixton.

Company successes

The following plays were first written for the company:

• The Better Deal, written for First Draft in 2007, was performed at The Rosemary Branch Theatre later that year^[17].
• Colin's Fish written for First Draft in 2009, was performed at Lost Theatre Festival the same year, where it was described as having "Beckett like banter" by Jeremy Kingston.
• Ferry Lights, written for blank Pages in 2010, was adapted for radio and aired later that year^[18].
• A Public Kind of Privacy, written for First Draft in 2006, was performed at The White Bear Theatre in 2007^[19]. It was nominated for Best Play at the Brighton Festival in 2007^[20].
• The State We're In, about protestor Brian Haw, played at The Edinburgh Festival in 2009, starring Michael Byrne^[21], was written and performed for First Draft in July 2007^[22].

References