Theatre offers authors a helping hand

Aspiring local writers have a new mentor with the appointment of The Marlowe Theatre’s first Literary Associate.

Playwright Simon Mendes da Costa, pictured, from Whitstable will lead new playwriting sessions and be the leading player on a new reading panel. The Marlowe’s Head of Creative Projects, Danny Lipman, said: “There’s no one better to run these sessions,which will be inspirational, educational and exciting. We are looking forward to working with Simon and to developing our creative department even further.”

Simon, 55, is well qualified for the position. His play Losing Louis premiered at The Hampstead Theatre in 2005 and went on to a West End run, UK and international tours.

However, Simon was a late starter as a writer, working as a computer programmer and estate agent before starting acting evening classes in London.

He worked with an amateur company for three years, and, at the age of 31, went to drama school at the Bristol Old Vic. After graduating, he worked in repertory theatre, supplementing his income by working as a computer programmer.

He then joined a writer’s group and penned his first play Table For One which was then staged at the Hen and Chickens Theatre in Highbury, London, in 2001.

In 2005, he was nominated for Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards. He has written several more plays, and, with a producer and director on board, he is now in development for his next play.

Simon says he is delighted to be appointed The Marlowe’s first Literary Associate. He said: “This is an exciting and interesting opportunity for me, the theatre, and hopefully, all those who take part in the workshops and those who submit new writing.

“They are for anyone – people who have never written before, or those who have been doing it for a while. They will gain experience and confidence and what I want at the end of the course is for people to have written their own piece, based on whatever they like.”