The only major award to celebrate new writing at the Edinburgh Fringe announces Please, Feel Free to Share by Rachel Causer; My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored by Nana-Kofi Kufuor; This is Paradise by Michael John O’Neill; and The Cracks by Siân Rowland as shortlisted finalists for the 2021 prize.
They will share the £6,000 prize fund and the winner will be offered a guaranteed slot at one of the top six venues at the fringe.
The award ensures that new voices are heard and brought to audiences, particularly as we start to emerge from the pandemic.
‘Please, Feel Free to Share’ by Rachel Causer is a dark comedy about the addictive nature of ‘likes’, lies and our growing need to share all.
Rachel, originally from Cornwall, now based in London, said: “I began as an actor and treading the line between a lie and the truth is a concept I’ve always thought aligns with theatre in a playful way.”
‘My Voice Was Heard But It Was Ignored’ by Nana-Kofi Kufuor is a tense and emotional confrontation between a black teacher and pupil that explores police brutality, intersectional feminism and the question of who gets to define ‘blackness’.
Kofi, from Stockport, said: “I want to illicit an emotion in [the audience] and I want them to continue the conversations no matter how uncomfortable those conversations are.”
In ‘This Is Paradise’ by Michael John O’Neill, Kate watches the historic moment of the Good Friday Agreement unfold. She receives a phone call that forces her to face her past; her ex-lover, the river, the trauma - it all comes flooding back.
Michael, originally from Ireland but now based in central Scotland, said: “Much of what happens in this play is my reality and the reality of people close to me. But twisted and broken and reformed into something that can stand as its own story.”
‘The Cracks’ by Siân Rowland is about Kate and Amira, best friends and teachers determined to decolonise their outdated school curriculum, but find cracks appear in their relationship when one is accused of racism.
Siân, from South London, said: “I wrote ‘The Cracks’ during lockdown. As a freelance education adviser…I’ve always been aware of how schools as systems don’t always serve everyone fairly but often rely on the belief that ‘everyone is equal here’ when in truth there are huge gaps of experience.”
The finalist plays are now with the committee which includes: Art Malik, Inua Ellams, Jonny Woo, Francesca Moody, Annabelle Wallis, Andreja Pejic, Tony Grisoni and Noma Dumezweni. They will announce the winner in early September.
‘The Cracks’ by Siân Rowland is about Kate and Amira, best friends and teachers determined to
decolonise their outdated school curriculum, but find cracks appear in their relationship when one is accused of racism.
Siân, from South London, said: “I wrote ‘The Cracks’ during lockdown. As a freelance education
adviser…I’ve always been aware of how schools as systems don’t always serve everyone fairly but often rely on the belief that ‘everyone is equal here’ when in truth there are huge gaps of experience.”
The finalist plays are now with the committee which includes: Art Malik, Inua Ellams, Jonny Woo,
Francesca Moody, Annabelle Wallis, Andreja Pejic, Tony Grisoni and Noma Dumezweni. They will
announce the winner in early September.
For the last three years, Popcorn has partnered with all six of the major venues at the Fringe - Assembly Festival, Gilded Balloon, Pleasance, Summerhall, The Traverse and Underbelly. The Award celebrates fearless work which playfully and artistically questions and addresses current affairs, societal trends and contributes positively to public debate.
THE 2021 COMMITTEE
Celebrated playwright and poet, Inua Ellams, known for the sold-out ‘Barbershop Chronicles’ and ‘Three Sisters’ at the National Theatre; theatre, television and film actress Noma Dumezweni, two-time Olivier Award winner and Tony nominee; Jonny Woo, award-winning performer, comedian, drag queen and a leading light in the world of cabaret; Andreja Pejic, actress, supermodel, poet, and international inspiration to both the Fashion industry and Transgender community; prolific film, television, and
theatre actress Annabelle Wallis; last year’s Popcorn Award winner and Theatr Clwyd’s Writer in
Residence, Jennifer Lunn; Founder of Popcorn Group, writer, director and artist, Charlotte Colbert;
Anthony Alderson, Artistic Director of The Pleasance Theatre Trust; producer Francesca Moody, known for award-winning and Olivier-nominated ‘Fleabag’ by Phoebe Waller-Bridge; Jessica Malik who heads Popcorn Film and TV and is also the incumbent chair of the London Board of Cinemagic; founder of Popcorn Group, neo-pop surrealist artist, Philip Colbert; award-winning, TV, Film and stage actor, Art Malik; Tony Grisoni, writer of genre-defining work such as ‘Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas’, ‘Tideland’ and ‘The Red Riding Trilogy’. He also teaches at London Film School; Natalie Denton, Development Executive at Popcorn Group.
POPCORN GROUP
Popcorn Group develops and produces innovative and provoking content across film, TV, and theatre. The company recently completed SHE WILL starring Alice Krige, Kota Eberhardt, Malcolm McDowell, and Rupert Everett, which won a Golden Leopard for Best First Film at Locarno Film Festival and is in post-production on DALÍ LAND, its second co-production with Pressman Films, starring Sir Ben Kingsley in the titular role and directed by Mary Harron (AMERICAN PSYCHO).
Popcorn Group also partnered with Francesca Moody Productions on FLEABAG’s West End transfer and co-produced the viral sensation LEADING LADY PARTS for the BBC with Emilia Clarke, Gemma Arterton, Gemma Chan, Catherine Tate, Felicity Jones and Tom Hiddleston, which has amassed over 50million views. In September it will be premiering MUM by Olivier-winning writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, a co-production with Francesca Moody Productions.
On the TV side, Popcorn Group is developing its theatre smash hit ANGRY ALAN for TV with
NBCUniversal. Additionally, the company teamed up with Lionsgate to develop a TV series entitled A WOMB OF ONE’S OWN.
