I am the Course Leader for ‘Creative Writing and English Literature’ and ‘Creative Writing and English Language’. Alongside my academic work, I am a practising playwright with a passion for all forms of creative writing. My books and academic publications include 'The Soho Theatre, 1968-1981' (STR, 2017), 'Key Concepts in Creative Writing' (Palgrave 2010), and 'Big Questions: Incredible Adventures in Thinking' (Wizard Books, 2007). I have had plays performed at theatres including the Riverside Studios, the Arcola, the Finborough and the Gate, and was a Literary Associate at Theatre503 and an Artistic Associate of the theatre/dance collective Hannah Bruce and Company, which specialises in site-responsive work. I am co-Creative Producer for the ‘Soho Poly’ arts venue.
My main research activities lie in the fields of new playwriting, dramaturgy, and the relationship between text and place.
Between 2003 and 2005, I was the literary manager at Theatre503, one of the country's leading new playwriting venues. My doctorate was on the early history of another major new playwriting hub, the Soho Theatre, and in 2012 I curated an anniversary of this theatre's inception. Events included play readings of early work by Robert Holman and David Edgar (introduced by the playwrights), performances of plays by the Miniaturists, and a panel event including Michael Billington, Michael Coveney and Irving Wardle. More recently I have co-curated over twenty arts events at the revived 'Soho Poly' basement, including play readings, gigs and poetry readings.
I am also a working playwright. My recent play The View from the Mountaintop, received Arts Council funding and was performed at the Brighton and Plymouth theatre festivals. My play The Shelter was performed at the Riverside Studios, and another piece, Through the Night, was a recipient of a Papatango New Playwriting Award and produced at the Finborough Theatre. My monologue play Inside Out was selected for the inaugural HighTide festival. Other work includes: Brightest and Best at The Half Moon; Insect, a Miniaturists play performed at the Arcola; Hypertension, part of the 'Ave it / Coming Up Later Festival at the Old Vic Tunnels; W-11, a community project for The Gate. I am a member of 'Hannah Bruce and Company', a theatre/dance collective which has performed site-responsive work at venues including Hoxton Hall, Wilton's Music Hall, Northern Stage and Shoreditch Town Hall.
I have written radio comedy for BBC 1 and BB4, several short stories, and three non-fiction books: The Soho Theatre 1968-1981 (STR), Key Concepts in Creative Writing (Palgrave) and Big Questions (an introduction to Philosophy for teenagers, Wizard Books).