Playwright Huw Turnbull has won the prestigious Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge with Venison, a gripping black comedy farce that will premiere as part of Theatre@Sea.
The award-winning play turns an awkward dinner party into a darkly comic murder mystery, exploring society’s obsession with true crime as entertainment. It promises sharp dialogue, unexpected twists, and plenty of intrigue.
Venison will be staged onboard Ambassador Cruise Line’s ship Ambition in 2026 as part of the Theatre@Sea programme. more information can be found here.
You’ve written Venison, which will be produced as part of Theatre@Sea, what can you tell us about the play?
Venison is a black comedy murder mystery farce dealing with the modern fascination with true crime. The play follows three friends as they navigate an awkward dinner party with their friend Jane’s weird boyfriend Jerry. Jane is suspiciously absent from the dinner party, and as Max, Dan, and Bill’s suspicions grow, getting out of the frying pan might just land them in the fire.
How did the idea for Venison come to you, and what inspired its darkly comic tone?
The idea for Venison came from a few different places. I wanted to make a murder mystery about murder mysteries. I have always been a fan of crime fiction, especially the cosy whodunnits of Agatha Christie, and I wanted to explore the genre comedically whilst also raising questions about the use of crime, and particularly murder, narratives for entertainment.
I started with the setting, an awkward dinner party. I love stories that bring together colourful characters and then turn up the heat, and the dinner party set up seemed like fertile ground.
As a writer, I believe that theatre should be for everyone, and it’s for this reason that I choose to work in “popular” genres – in this play comedy and murder-mystery – that have a broad appeal and an accessible contemporary cultural language.
I aim to intersect these popular genres with theatre’s possibility for social commentary, creating work that is hopefully both enjoyable and thought-provoking. Mixing darker themes with a comic tone felt like a natural step, and I think the contrast between the darker moments and the comedy not only helps to keep the audience entertained and engaged, but this juxtaposition also makes the serious moments hit harder as comedy can be a great way to disarm people.
The play explores our fascination with true crime as entertainment, why was that theme important for you to tackle?
There is a moment in the show where one of the characters, Dan, discusses how his partner, Max, listens to true crime podcasts to fall asleep, complaining that he wakes up in the middle of the night to someone describing axe murder in graphic detail.
This moment was actually inspired by a time when I fell asleep listening to a true crime podcast and later awoke from a nightmare to discover that my subconscious was being fuelled by the podcast’s rather graphic description of a real murder. Suffice to say, I no longer listen to true crime podcasts before bed, and the event made me introspectively consider my own consumption of true crime as entertainment.
Questioning my own fascination made me consider the growing trend of true crime in entertainment, noticeable in the popularity of the Netflix “Monster” series on Ed Gein and Dahmer, and I decided that I wanted to write a play that might raise similar questions for audiences.
I think there are a lot of ethical questions around true crime as entertainment. I don’t think I, or Venison, have the answers, but I do hope that the play will give the audience a pause for thought.
What was the experience of entering and ultimately winning the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge like?
The experience of entering and then actually winning the Ambassador Peel Playwriting Challenge has been incredible. To have been shortlisted was an honour in and of itself, but to have been chosen as the winner feels truly remarkable.
It was wonderful that as a part of the process myself and all of the shortlisted writers got to have readings of our plays on board the ships, and it was incredible not only to see the readings performed by professional actors but also to meet some of the other talented writers.
Seeing the calibre of the other shortlisted plays, and knowing the backgrounds and experience of the judges, makes winning the prize feel all the more special. To have my work recognised by theatre professionals, and ultimately chosen out of such a competitive pool is an amazing feeling.
How do you feel about seeing your work staged in such a unique setting onboard a cruise ship?
It is slightly surreal, but also incredibly exciting. I don’t think I would ever even have conceived that my work could be performed on a cruise ship before learning about this competition.
With Venison being performed aboard the Ambition for at least six months, there is the potential for it to be seen by thousands of people who will be guests aboard the ship.
As an emerging writer, I cannot think of another opportunity offering this kind of reach at this early stage in my career. I am incredibly grateful to Ambassador and PEEL Entertainment for setting up this new prize, and I hope it continues to run for many years!
I am looking forward to working with Ambassador and PEEL Entertainment to realise this production, and cannot wait to see the piece be brought to life aboard the Ambassador Ambition.
