Produced Plays…

Broken Water

at the Arcola Theatre

★ ★ ★ ★ “Urgently necessary” - Broadway World

★ ★ ★ ★ “Eminently watchable” - Young(ish) Perspective

”Everything in this production is a beautifully judged surprise” - The Spectator

”Vividly moving" - The Stage

”It felt as if this play was speaking directly to me" - British Theatre Guide

”Well-written, humorous and moving" - Everything Theatre

Script Shortlisted:

The Verity Bargate Award

The Nick Darke Award

The BBC Writer’s Room

Naomi Peterson (Linda) - Sarah Hadland (Philippa) - Rosemary Ashe (Olive)

  • Living on the same London street, three ordinary women with three different perspectives tell a similar story. As each woman’s story unfolds, we learn that between the rock of having children and the hard place of not having them, lies a kind of love that can make you lose your bearings. Featuring three strong female protagonists, this exhilarating and moving play shines a light on the untold experiences and the irrepressible resilience of women.

    Synopsis:Thirty-something Linda wants what her neighbours have but her carefully laid plans are about to come unstuck. Fiftysomething Philippa’s youngest child is about to leave home; as she mourns the successful career she once had, she reluctantly takes a step down. Seventy-something Olive is pursued by unresolved grief, but a wonderful find gets her out and about again.

    Broken Water was shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award (placing it in the top 25 out of over 800 submissions), the Nick Darke Award (placing it in the top 6 out of over 950 submissions), and the BBC Writers Room (placing it in the top 15% of 3845 scripts). The production at Arcola Theatre in 2024, directed by Nicola Samer, was given an OffComm Commendation.

    If you would like a copy of the script to read, please contact me.

Mugs Like Us:

Dorothy Slatter

at the Space Theatre

”I am astonished by this poetic and comic work. It was a revelation" - Dudley Sutton

Alexandra Donnachie as Dorothy 

  • In the 1920s Sydney police began photographing all the criminals they arrested, creating the city’s first collection of ‘mug shots’, which subsequently became Peter Doyle's best selling book of exquisite photographs, 'Crooks Like Us'. Each photograph had very little information recorded about its subject. The Mugs Like Us trilogy aimed to create a much-needed back-story for three of these forgotten people. Free reign was given to three playwrights (myself, and Susan Kingman and Georgia Keighery) to create a back-story from whichever photograph they fancied. 16 year old Dorothy Slatter (also know as Dorothy Duval) had worked as a maid at Madame Hana Lingerie and Robe Specialist. She was arrested in 1926 after a three month search by the Queensland police, following £200 worth of clothing going missing from the shop.

    Synopsis: The police want answers! But so does Dorothy. Her memory is patchy and she seems to talk in riddles. She's got plenty to say...about Spike the dog when he wouldn’t sit still; Ma’s boyfriend; Scarlett Rose; Albert the Oil; Coogee town and Pinky, her one true friend...but will she enlighten them about where she's been these last three months, why she fled, and what became of Madam Hana's beautiful dresses?

    Mugs Like Us: Dorothy Slatter was part of the Mugs Like Us trilogy, a selection of one-woman plays produced by Emma Sampson, which premiered at The Space Theatre in 2017.

    If you would like a copy of the script to read, please contact me.

Keepers

at the Hampstead Theatre

"Bursting with pain and passion" - Sunday Times

"Winstanley's dialogue flows easily" - What's On London

"A fine and engaging production" - The Jewish Chronicle

"Natural and brilliantly-observed speech and comedy" - Ham & High

Initial rehearsed Reading for ‘A Small Drop of Ink’ festival at Hampstead Theatre

  • Keepers is a blisteringly funny and sharply astute look at the behind-the-scenes world of a city zoo; where a keeper's ranking is measured by the size of the animals in his care; where decisions about life and death are made away from prying eyes; and where - when idealism and real-life clash - a question is raised: who is looking after whom?

    Synopsis: A city zoo faces closure. Like the apes in their care, five keepers struggle with conflicting needs for status, control, and affection. Derek, close to retirement, strives to maintain his position in a changing world. Second-in-command, Maggie, cares more about animals than the humans she works with. As the zoo prepares for a special visit from a potential benefactor, a baby is born in the chimp group. Derek makes a decision which incenses Maggie, and all hell breaks loose in the ape house.

    The play was selected as part of Hampstead Theatre's new writing festival, A Small Drop of Ink, and debuted at Hampstead Theatre the following year.

    If you would like a copy of the script to read, please contact me.