Burn Bright’s digitally commissioned anthology series Better In Person returns on 14th December with a northern-centric instalment, partnering with acclaimed venues to amplify the voices of northern writers who identify as women. Plagued with harsher lockdown conditions throughout the pandemic the company are keen to offer a platform for these stories to be shared. Bringing together five talented women writers to capture the reality of the north, Better In Person promises to be an eye-opening event.
The company are thrilled to partner with the Hull Truck Theatre, Live Theatre, Octagon Theatre and the Stephen Joseph Theatre to make this opportunity possible, commissioning writers who identify as women from Bolton, Bradford, Hull, Newcastle and Scarborough. The writers involved are Shannon Barker, Olivia Hannah, Rachel Hogg, Zoe Iqbal and Kat Rose-Martin.
Better In Person’s third iteration will be directed and hosted by company co-founder Tori Allen-Martin, showcasing an intimate, hilarious, and very human collection of online conversations as we continue navigating a life of new rules, regulations and lockdowns. These five thought-provoking new plays will be showcased via Zoom on Monday 14th December at 8pm. Recordings of the previous events are currently available for pay per view on the Burn Bright website, for a limited time only.
Sarah Henley, Co-Founder of Burn Bright, comments, This industry can sometimes feel like it’s purely made up of “no’s” and closed doors (particularly if you don’t necessarily move in the ‘right crowd’) so Tori and I are completely overwhelmed at the ‘yesses’ from these power-house theatres for Better in Person! We feel like their seals of approval are a real show of validation for our efforts in turning a negative into a positive, and impetus for the sea-change we want to drive in terms of equality for women playwrights; a very encouraging end to an exceptionally challenging year!
Lotte Wakeham, Artist Director of Octagon Theatre adds, I’m delighted that the Octagon is partnering with Burn Bright on this project to champion the voices of Northern women. It will be wonderful to collaborate with these other fantastic Northern venues as well and I’m sure audiences will really enjoy the performance in December.
Furthering the partnership with the regional venues, a representative from each theatre will donate their time and expertise to Burn Bright’s Time Bank initiative. This pioneering scheme provides industry insight and mentorship for women writers looking to further their career development.
