Bridgerton star to judge new writing award at the Edinburgh Fringe

The Popcorn Group have announced the judging committee and the longest of imaginative new plays for this year’s Popcorn Writing Award, with the group pairing with BBC Writersroom for the first time. 

Bridgerton star Luke Thompson will join the judging panel, alongside Olivier Award winning producer Francesca Moody MBE, portrait artist Jonathan Yeo, comedian Jack Rooke, stage and screen star Lydia Leonard, Ivor Novello nominated composer Nainita Desai and director Charlotte Colbert. 

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is an important launch pad for up and coming talent in the arts and with the festival returning this year after 2 years of cancellations and set backs, the Popcorn Writing Award plays a huge part in championing new talent. 

The longlisted plays up for this year’s award includes Greg Wilkinson’s Assisted, Davinia Hamilton and Marta Vella’s Blanket Ban, Laura Horton’s Breathless, Karim Khan’s Brown Boys Swim, Nicole Acquah’s Caste-ing, Alex Howarth’s Cassie and the Lights, Anna Krauze’s Daddy Issues, Silent Faces’ Godot is a Woman, Tabby Lamb’s Happy Meal, Isabella Waldron’s How to Build a Wax Figure, Rash Dash’s Look at Me, Don’t Look at Me, Maimuna Memon’s Manic Street Creature, Amelia Pitcher’s Poles: The Science of Magnetic Attraction, Jenna Fincken’s Ruckus, Erin Hunter’s Surfing the Holyland, Eve Nicol’s Svengali, Rachel O’Regan’s The Beatles Were a Boyband, Michael Mears’ The Mistake, Roann Hassani McCloskey’s Who Murdered My Cat, and David Finnigan’s You’re Safe until 2024: Deep History.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony held at the The Gilded Balloon Library on 25 August. 

Rebecca Wallis

Rebecca is a self-confessed theatre obsessive, with a particular love for musicals. She has loved writing for as long as she can remember and combining this love with her passion for theatre has been one of the best decisions she’s ever made. She is currently studying journalism, with hopes of making her theatre blogging into a career one day. Her favourite ever musical is Half A Sixpence, and she could tell you anything that you could ever want to know about that show. She is honoured to be a part of the West End Best Friend team and cannot wait to see how the page grows and grows.

Previous
Previous

GET UP STAND UP! THE BOB MARLEY MUSICAL to close in London in January 2023

Next
Next

New cast announced to join Kevin Kennedy in ROCK OF AGES UK tour