"It’s about getting voices heard"
Created in memory of a mother who loved to write, the Rose Fisher Award is opening doors for a new generation of women playwrights.
When Laurels Theatre in Whitley Bay hosts the inaugural Rose Fisher Award for Writing next week (October 27), it will mark more than the giving of a new prize.
It’s a statement of intent from an organisation that has built its reputation on giving voice to underrepresented talent across the North East.
The award, created by Laurels’ head of theatre and programming Alison Stanley, was launched at the beginning of 2025, encouraging female-identifying writers over the age of 35 to get their scripts in the ring… with a chance of getting them on a stage.
Its aim was simple: to create opportunities for women whose stories are often sidelined, and whose routes into theatre can be blocked by circumstance rather than ability.
“Back in the day, my mam didn’t get the chance,” Alison says. “She was a single parent with bills to pay - writing wasn’t something you could afford to do unless you already had money or connections.”
The prize is named in her honour. Rose, who died from cancer last year, was a writer of children’s stories but never published her work.
“She wrote them solely to read to me – or for me to read myself,” says Alison, who has gone on to become an acclaimed playwright with plays such as Living the Life of Reilley, T*Ts Up, You Need to Say Sorry and HARD.
“Anything more than that just didn’t seem to be an option.”
The award was launched in January, on the day of Rose’s funeral - a gesture that was equal parts tribute and call to action.
In the months that followed, entries poured in from across the region, with more than 200 scripts submitted for consideration. Some came from first-time playwrights; others from established writers – not that the judges knew who had written what.
Alison and a small panel of readers - including Laurels co-founder Steve Robertson, an English teacher, and a handful of local writers - read each script blind. “We wanted it to be about the words,” she says. “No names attached, no assumptions about experience. It was all down to the story.”
Originally, the team planned to shortlist six finalists. “I couldn’t do it,” Alison admits. “There was too much good work. So we doubled it.”
And then some.
The resulting longlist represents an brimming melting pot of regional talent - from emerging voices to experienced dramatists - including Dawn Wilkinson, Maggie Martin, Angela Craddock, Joanne Adams, Lauren Davies, Sarah Seymour, Liz Taylorson, Kath Turnbull, Lynne Patrick, Julie Meredith, Noreen Rees, Amy Telford, Miss Rae Clark, Naghmen Samini, Dawn Furness, Ronnie Byron, Yvonne Young, Sharon Boga, and Rosie Fox.
Award-winning North East writer, Alison Carr whose plays have enjoyed local, regional and national success is also on there.
Her dark comedy Opussom is set on the North East coast and was inspired by the true tale of Anne and John Darwin – the Seaton Carew couple who were convicted of fraud in 2008 after faking John’s death in the North Sea and making false insurance claims.
On Monday night (Oct 27) finalists will see a short extract of their play performed at Laurels before the overall winner is announced. The event, Alison says, is intended to feel more like a celebration than a competition.
“It’s about getting voices heard. Even if you don’t win, someone might see your work and think: that deserves a full production.”
The winner will receive £2,000 in development funding and the opportunity to see their play fully staged by Laurels in 2026.
The money is designed to remove practical barriers that often stop writers - especially those juggling work and caring responsibilities - from pursuing creative projects. “If someone needs to take time off from their job to attend rehearsals or do rewrites, that cushion makes a real difference,” Alison explains.
The eligibility criteria - female-identifying and over 35 - were chosen deliberately. Alison wanted to reach people who might have put off creative ambitions while raising families or working full-time. “There are so many talented women who’ve got the stories, but not the time or confidence to share them,” she says. “Sometimes all it takes is someone asking.”
That ethos runs through Laurels’ broader work. Since opening in 2021, the independent venue has carved out a distinctive identity in the North East’s cultural landscape. Its programming mixes new writing, comedy, and community projects, often with a focus on working-class experience and voices rarely heard on main stages.
“Laurels exists to make space for what’s real here - the humour, the grit, the heart. The Rose Fisher Award is an extension of that.
“In terms of the entries, I was absolutely blown away. We had everything - dark comedies, political pieces, family dramas,” Alison continues. “It just goes to show you don’t need to go to Manchester or London to find fantastic writing. The talent’s already here.”
The extracts will be performed by professional actors, giving writers the rare experience of hearing their words come alive in front of an audience. “It’s a huge step,” Alison says. “You learn so much from that first reading - what lands, what doesn’t. For some, it’ll be the first time their work has ever been spoken out loud.”
While the main prize guarantees a production, Alison hopes the event itself will have a ripple effect. “If the night sparks new collaborations, if people meet and decide to develop something together - that’s a success in my book,” she says.
Future plans include turning the award into an annual fixture, potentially alternating its focus to include underrepresented voices from other communities. “The aim is always the same,” Alison adds. “To find the people who’ve got something to say, and to help them say it.”
In a region where funding cuts and closures continue to threaten grassroots theatre, initiatives like this feel vital. They remind audiences - and writers - that creativity doesn’t need permission. Sometimes, it just needs a platform.
For Alison, that’s what the Rose Fisher Award is ultimately about. “I didn’t want it to be a sad thing,” she says. “My mam didn’t get her stories out there, but she still passed that love of writing on.
“This is about keeping that going - and making sure other women don’t have to wait for an invitation.”
The winner of the Rose Fisher Award for Writing will be announced at an evening event to be held from 7pm on October 27 at Laurels Theatre, Whitley Bay. Entry is free.