Theatre Centre is a UK-based theatre company touring new plays for young audiences aged 4 to 18. Founded in 1953 by Brian Way, the company has developed plays by writers including Lisa Evans, Noël Greig, Mike Kenny,

Bryony Lavery Bryony Lavery (born 1947) is a British dramatist, known for her successful and award-winning 1998 play '' Frozen''. In addition to her work in theatre, she has also written for television and radio. She has written books including the biography ...

Leo Butler Leo Butler (born 1974 in Sheffield) is a British playwright. His plays have been staged, among others, by the Royal Court, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Almeida Theatre. His plays have been published by Bloomsbury A & C Black. His 200 ...

, Brendan Murray, Philip Osment,

Manjinder Virk Manjinder Virk is a British actress, director and writer. She has appeared in the television series '' Holby City'' (1999), '' Doctors'' (2000), ''The Bill'' (2004), '' The Ghost Squad'' (2005), '' Runaway'' (2009), '' Skins'' (2010), '' Monroe ...

, Roy Williams and

Benjamin Zephaniah Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah (born 15 April 1958)Gregory, Andy (2002), ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa, p. 562. . is a British writer and dub poet. He was included in ''The Times'' list of Britain's top 50 post-wa ...

. Theatre Centre is a member of Theatre for Young Audiences UK (TYA-UK), a network for makers and promoters of professional theatre for young audiences. Brian Way and Margaret Faulkes founded Theatre Centre in 1953. When they produced a shortened version of

Dorothy L. Sayers Dorothy Leigh Sayers (; 13 June 1893 – 17 December 1957) was an English crime writer and poet. She was also a student of classical and modern languages. She is best known for her mysteries, a series of novels and short stories set between th ...

’ The Man Born To Be King, the production inspired Sayers to donate £200 to help establish the company. The company's "initial aim was to provide a place where unemployed actors might meet and practise their art", Laurence Harbottle (of

Harbottle & Lewis Harbottle & Lewis is a law firm based in London, United Kingdom which advises clients across the media, communications and entertainment industries. Harbottle & Lewis has 42 partners and 68 lawyers and in 2016/17 recorded turnover of £28.1m. ...

) reported in 2006. "What it became was the launch pad for educational theatre in schools – and what Brian became, in the next half century, was the seminal influence on that movement, worldwide." Many of Theatre Centre's early plays were written by Brian Way himself. Way believed plays should be written for a specific age group., and "argued that the quality of performance deteriorates" when audience numbers increase. Theatre Centre productions were "presented informally on the floor of the school hall, in the round." Today, Theatre Centre shows tour to schools and venues around the country and the company has a focus on writers creating "exciting work for young audiences." Theatre Centre is a registered charity and is an

Arts Council England Arts Council England is an arm's length non-departmental public body of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is also a registered charity. It was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three s ...

National Portfolio Organisation.

Awards

Theatre Centre administrates two prizes for writers, the Brian Way Award for Best New Play (formerly The Children's Award, established by

) and the Adrienne Benham Award. The Brian Way Award is presented annually to the writer of a play for young people which has been professionally produced, and the Adrienne Benham Award to a writer who wishes to write a play for young people but who hasn't previously done so. Winners of the Brian Way Award for Best New Play: * 2012: Evan Placey for Holloway Jones (Synergy Theatre Company) * 2011: Keith Saha for Ghost Boy (20 Stories High) * 2010: Laurence Wilson for Blackberry Trout Face (20 Stories High) * 2009:

Douglas Maxwell Douglas Maxwell (born 1974 in Girvan) is a Scottish playwright, whose work has been performed throughout Scotland, the UK and abroad. Life & work He was born to two teachers in Girvan on the Ayrshire south-west coast of Scotland. He has one sis ...

for The Mothership (

Birmingham Repertory Theatre Birmingham Repertory Theatre, commonly called Birmingham Rep or just The Rep, is a producing theatre based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England. Founded by Barry Jackson, it is the longest-established of Britain's building-based theatre c ...

) * 2008: David Greig for

Yellow Moon Yellow Moon may refer to: * ''Yellow Moon'' (Neville Brothers album), 1989, or the title song * ''Yellow Moon'' (Don Williams album), 1983, or the title song * ''Yellow Moon'' (EP), a 2006 EP by Akeboshi, or the title song * "Yellow Moon", a 196 ...

(TAG) * 2008: Fin Kennedy (runner-up) for Locked In (Half Moon Theatre Company) * 2007: Tim Crouch for Shopping for Shoes ( National Theatre Education Department) * 2007: Deborah Gearing (runner-up) for Burn (Shell Connections) * 2006: Neil Duffield for The Lost Warrior (Dukes Theatre, Lancaster) * 2005: Abi Bown for Hey There Boy with the Bebop (

Polka Theatre Polka Theatre is a children’s theatre in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton, for children aged 0– 13. The theatre contains two performance spaces - a 300-seat main auditorium and a 70-seat studio dedicated to early years performances. Polka ...

) * 2004:

Charles Way Charles Christopher Way (born December 27, 1972) is a former professional American football fullback in the National Football League for five seasons for the New York Giants. Early life Way was born in 1972 to Jacqueline and Cleveland Way. he ...

for Red Red Shoes (

Unicorn Theatre The Unicorn Theatre is a children's theatre in the London Borough of Southwark, in England. It is a custom-built, RIBA Award–winning building on Tooley Street, which opened in 2005. The theatre was designed by Keith Williams, built by Arup an ...

) * 2003:

Phil Porter Phil Porter (born 1977) is a British playwright, librettist and television writer. He is a graduate of the University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery18 ...

for Smashed Eggs (Pentabus Theatre) * 2002: Brendan Murray for Eliza's House ( Royal Exchange) * 2001: Mike Kenny for Stepping Stones (Interplay) Winners of the Adrienne Benham Award: * 2012: Kenneth Emson * 2011: Marcelo Dos Santos * 2010: Paula B. Stanic * 2009: Steven Bloomer

References

Sources

''Modern British Playwriting: The 1980s: Voices, Documents, New Interpretations''
Jane Milling,

Methuen Drama A & C Black is a British book publishing company, owned since 2002 by Bloomsbury Publishing. The company is noted for publishing ''Who's Who'' since 1849. It also published popular travel guides and novels. History The firm was founded in 180 ...

, 2012. . *''Working With Theatre in Schools'', Clive Webster, Pitman Publishing, 1975. . *''Advice for the Young at Heart'', Roy Williams,

, 2013. .

External links

Theatre Centre website
{{authority control 1953 establishments in England Children's theatre Theatre companies in England

Awards

References

Sources

Further reading

External links