Vivienne Franzman (born 1971) is a British
playwright from
Walthamstow, whose first play, ''
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...
'', was critically acclaimed on its première at the
Royal Exchange, Manchester and on its transference to the
Lyric Theatre,
Hammersmith in 2011. Dominic Cavendish of ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'' called it "the play of the year". The play, based on her own experiences
[Franzmann interview http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23860314-teacher-turns-playwright-to-tell-everyday-story-of-false-racism-claim.do] as a school teacher, starred
Julia Ford
Julia Ford (born 7 August 1963) is a British actress, voice actress and director.
Early life
She was born in Chester, Cheshire and grew up in Sutton Weaver. She attended Helsby County Grammar School.
Career
Her acting work includes theatr ...
as a teacher victimised by a student's lies after she tries to protect him.
Her next play, "Pests," opened in March, 2014 in The Royal Exchange, London. “Pests” is the story of two young sisters. Both are
heroin addicts, have
literacy issues, have been
sexually abused as children, have been in
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
, had
abortions and suffer from
mental illness. The lives of these two main characters revolve around violence, unemployment and poverty.
Clean Break, a theater company that works with women ex-convicts or those at risk of breaking the law, commissioned the play.
Awards
Franzman won the
George Devine
George Alexander Cassady Devine (20 November 1910 – 20 January 1966) was an English theatrical manager, director, teacher, and actor based in London from the early 1930s until his death. He also worked in TV and film.
Early life and education
...
Award for most promising playwright in 2011 for ''Mogadishu''.
The play was also one of four joint winners of the
Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2008.
References
British dramatists and playwrights
British television writers
Living people
1971 births
{{UK-playwright-stub