Theatre News

Matt Grinter wins Papatango New Writing Prize

The 8th Papatango New Writing Prize has been awarded to a Bristol-based writer

Playwright Matt Grinter
Playwright Matt Grinter

Playwright Matt Grinter has won this year's Papatango New writing Prize for his play Orca.

The piece was chosen in a final round over four other shortlisted plays. As part of the prize, Grinter's play will receive its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse in November this year and will be published by Nick Hern Books.

Orca was chosen anonymously and unanimously by a group of thirteen readers. Grinter has worked with Papatango in the past when they produced his first short play for Lost Theatre's One Act Play Festival in 2008.

Grinter said: "I am absolutely thrilled to be working with Papatango and to have won such an incredible accolade from a company that are at the forefront of new writing. When it comes to creating engaging and exciting theatre they are bulletproof."

Orca is set in a fishing village where a woman must be chosen to bless the waters and keep the threat of orcas at bay.

The prize gives an emerging playwright a full production, publiction, 10 per cent of the gross box office and £6,000 commission for a second play. Previous winners include Dawn King, Dominic Mitchell, Tom Morton-Smith and James Rushbrooke. This year there were 1,053 entrants and the shortlisted plays were Tarn by Chris Salt, Alkaline by Gareth Jandrell, Gnaw by Dean Poulter and Full Tilt by Sarah Pitard.