The Other Room announces new female playwright award

Cardiff theatre The Other Room has today announced the Violet Burns Playwright Award, aiming to discover and develop Welsh and Wales-based female playwrights.

The award will run annually for the next three years, with winners having their play professionally produced in The Other Room. As it's the inaugural year, the award is looking specifically for writers interested in plays featuring the Welsh language.

Violet Burns passed away earlier this year. Her daughter, Hayley, who sits on the board at The Other Room, is responsible for the award. She says: "Mum never felt that she reached her potential. Her early experiences meant she didn’t embrace opportunities later in life and this is a great sadness to us, her remaining family.

"I wanted to create this award in memory of a woman who never knew how incredibly talented she was. And it makes complete sense that it is The Other Room that offers this award."

Applications for the 2018 award are now open.