Shortlist announced for James Tait Black drama prize

The shortlist for the 2018 James Tait Black Prize for Drama has been announced.

Awarded annually and overseen by the University of Edinburgh in association with Playwrights' Studio, Scotland and the Traverse Theatre, the award commends new original pieces of work written in English, Scots or Gaelic.

Selected from 89 nominees, the four shortlisted plays are Anatomy of a Suicide by Alice Birch, first performed at the Royal Court, Lions and Tigers by Tanika Gupta, first performed at Shakespeare's Globe, Glory on Earth by Linda McLean, produced by the Royal Lyceum Theatre and Locker Room Talk by Gary McNair produced by the Traverse Theatre.

Compared to other awards, the drama prize is judged by emerging artists and established theatre experts, rather than critics. The winner will win £10,000 prize, announced on Monday 20 August at the Traverse Theatre during the Edinburgh Fringe.

Last year's winner was David Ireland for his play Cyprus Avenue, with previous award recipients also including Gary Owen's one-woman monologue, Iphigenia in Splott, Gordon Dahlquist's sci-fi play Tomorrow Come Today and Rory Mullarkey's Cannibals.