Winner of the Theatre503 Playwriting Award announced

The winner of the biennial Theatre503 Playwriting Award has been announced.

This year, the prize will go to Sunderland-born, Edinburgh-based Andrew Thompson for his play In Event of Moone Disaster.

The play was chosen from a shortlist of five plays and covers 90 years to 2056 on the day the first woman lands on Mars. The play explores the changing role of women in the family, science and love.

Thompson works part-time as an NHS administrator and received £6,000 in prize money along with a production of the play.

In Event of Moone Disaster was picked by a panel which included Evening Standard Theatre critic Henry Hitchings, BBC broadcaster Mark Lawson, playwrights David Greig, Charlotte Keatley, Timberlake Wertenbaker and Roy Williams.

Previous winner Bea Roberts presented Thompson with the award at the Jerwood Space.

Lisa Spirling, Theatre503's artistic director said: "In Event of Moone Disaster is an astonishing play. It transports us to the moon and back, covering 90 years of sexual politics and space exploration through the story of three generations of women. The play's ambition is vast, and the universal story at its heart is exquisite."