The ETPEP Award 2022 has been won by first time playwright by Saana Sze for their play Belly of the Beast.

YoungMartha, a bright and agreeable student, falls in love with Gia, who has had enough of school and teachers that don’t care about girls like her…

NowMartha enters the teaching industry, optimistic about making a positive change, but soon begins a quick journey towards disillusionment when they realise the corporate hell they’re in…

Black, non-binary and queer, Youngand NowMartha are set against rigid systems which insist they conform.

Belly of the Beast examines school politics, from the standpoint of both student and a teacher, as it asks “What are schools for?”

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The ETPEP Award has announced its three final shortlisted plays for the 2022 Award.

They are:
@LeahRoberts by Eva Lily
Belter by Jacko Pook
Belly of the Beast by Saana Sze

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Class is an integral factor in terms of determining life path, the circumstances we’re born into, forming our daily experiences and how we navigate the system. Our households, and the generations that have gone before us shaping how society views us. An exploration of this and the impact of gentrification within a once impoverished Australian neighbourhood, Alana Valentine presents The Sugar House, a timely tale spanning the late 19th century and its industrial foundations, to the mid 80s, a time of change and protest.

Courtesy of Pamela Raith.

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This is a timely play, but not a timeless one. It is dated, and overlong, and some dialogue is too clever by half and therefore anachronistic onstage. But it’s also timely: its revival is another commemorative nod to the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, and, somewhat more sinisterly, it explores the uncomfortable dynamics of sexual power between queer schoolboys of differing ages.

Courtesy of the Finborough Theatre.

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Divided Politically into the Republic of Ireland (Southern state of Ireland) and Northern Ireland over 90 years ago, both nations have since witnessed decades of political unrest. As a result, this divide has resulted in the formation of various political ideologies, one of which being that of Irish Republicanism (the belief that Ireland should be an independent republic). Delving into this ideology, Gerry Moynihan‘s Continuity depicts an Irish republican’s fight for The Cause.

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Brutally honest, mettlesome and presenting a thirst for political agency, Everything Between Us by David Ireland is a breakthrough for New Writing. In its English Premiere the production is an intimate insight of disparity, consulting the lives of two sisters affected by their own displacement, political efforts and personal corruption.

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English poet and playwright, Tony Harrison‘s 1988 piece, Trackers of Oxyrhychus is revived for the Finborough Theatre stage by the Proud Haddock Theatre Company. It’s 1907 and 2 archaeologists have discovered what appears to be the remains of an ancient play revolving around the God Apollo. This should be the makings of a play of Godly proportions, however, is this the case?

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Recovering from the breakdown of a relationship isn’t easy, and we usually deal with the effects of heartbreak behind closed doors. For some, an added layer of humiliation sadly taints the process of moving on by having their intimate moments plastered on various revenge porn sites. The fast paced nature of social media and online forums make it impossible to escape from, and this is becoming a sad reality. Award winning writer and performer Charlotte Josephine draws on this topic to create the very timely BLUSH, which will take residency at the Underbelly, Cowgate next month in Edinburgh. Ahead of the festival, Theatrefullstop speaks to Charlotte about performing at this year’s festival, her inspirations for creating BLUSH and the process to creating the piece. Continue reading

Mindfulness and meditation, two constructs that have erupted within contemporary culture, but have you ever considered the roots of both practices and the place of origin? Shangri-La, is a play that explores the place rather than the myth, empathetic considering impact and circumstance of mass tourism. Situated in the Himalayan foothills of China’s Yunnan Province, officially renamed ‘Shangri-La’ in a successful bid for the tourist dollar, this play provokes disequilibrium highlighting conflict and anger.

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Angelina Weld Grimké’s Rachel, at the time of its inception, was a daring piece of theatre: a poignant expression of frustration at the racist persecution of black people in 1916. A perfect choice, therefore, for Finborough Theatre’s celebration of Black History Month.

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