Theatre Centre Announces Annual Awards

The Brian Way Award is presented annually to the author of a play that has raised the profile of young people’s theatre through a professional production. Laurence Wilson was presented with a cheque for £6,000 for his play, Blackberry Trout Face, which toured schools and small theatres in the north west last year, including the Unity Theatre, Liverpool. The play tells the story of three teenagers abandoned by their mother and forced to fend for themselves.

Wilson’s first work as a professional playright was Surf’s Up, a trilogy of short plays produced at the Unity Theatre in 2001 and nominated for the awards for Best Play and Best Production at the Manchester Evening News Awards 2002. He was subsequently made Pearson Writer in Residence at Liverpool Everyman Theatre 2006-7. Tiny Volcanoes, Wilson’s newest commission, for Paines Plough, will be shown at the Liverpool Everyman’s Everyword Festival (from 18 to 29 May) then at Latitude Festival (from 15 to 18 July).

Also announced at the ceremony last week, which was held at Broadgate Tower in the City of London, was the Adrienne Benham Award. This award, which each year is given to a promising emerging playwright to encourage work for young audiences, was presented to Paula B. Stanic, whose short play, 6 Minutes was seen last summer as part of Soho Theatre’s ‘Everything Must Go’ season. Stanic also received a cheque for £2,000 and commented: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work on an idea for a young audience. I look forward to learning more and really hope to develop something truthful that is exciting and challenging”.