New company to champion women playwrights

A new not-for-profit company is providing a forum for writers who identify as women. Writers Tori Allen-Martin and Sarah Henley have set up Burn Bright to "create a level playing field in the arts", on the basis that writers who identify as women "are still woefully underrepresented on the big stages and we fear that the current climate of 'safe bets' and 'big names' with 'tested material' will only serve to increase the gender gap, not to mention a lack of diverse representation in stories, and eradicating working class and benefit class talents."

Burn Bright will start with two projects. Time Bank, a networking hub for industry-led mentorship, will give women writers the chance to connect one-on-one with industry professionals willing to offer mentorship, feedback and advice on a range of topics affecting playwrights. Better In Person will comprise a series of short plays by women, inspired by the general public’s stories of conversations that would be Better In Person, but are happening online due to the ongoing lockdown. The series will be commissioned specifically to be shared digitally via Zoom.