Bristol Old Vic announce cohort of writers to join theatre's new writing mission

Bristol Old Vic announce cohort of writers to join the theatre’s New Writing mission 

• Three writers named to join Winsome Pinnock as part of BOV’s Five Year Commitment residency  

• Inaugural Early Career Writers Group announced, led by Ross Willis  

• Alongside both initiatives, BOV Literary Department continues year-round programme to commission and develop new work and build connections with the artists across the South West region. 

Bristol Old Vic’s re-energised Literary Department today announced three writers who will be joining Winsome Pinnock as part of the theatre’s Five Year Commitment residency – a programme of support for UK writing talent at all stages of their careers. 

The Five Year Commitment is at the heart of Nancy Medina’s strategy to develop new British writing at Bristol Old Vic. 

Writers from across the UK submitted work to Bristol Old Vic’s open call out and, following a selection process, Hannah Khalil, Sam Parker and Muneera Pilgrim have been invited to join award-winning playwright Winsome Pinnock in the scheme. The writers will be on attachment to Bristol Old Vic until January 2030.  

This cohort of writers represents Bristol Old Vic’s desire to support homegrown talent based in and from the South West region alongside nurturing inspiring voices from across the country, with the intention of sharing their work with audiences here in Bristol. 

The Five Year Commitment gives four writers at different stages of their careers the time and space to build their craft through the commissioning, development and presentation of new work. In addition, the theatre will use its programme resources over those five years to support the space between those commissions; connecting them with each other and ensuring they feel embedded and at home at Bristol Old Vic. It is supported in its first year through the generous support of the Genesis Foundation Prize.   

Hannah Khalil was the 2022 Resident Writer at Shakespeare’s Globe and her work there includes Hakawatis: Women of the Arabian Nights, Henry VIII and The Fir Tree (2021 and 2022). Hannah’s other stage plays include My English Persian Kitchen which ran at the Traverse as part of Edinburgh Festival 2024 and then transferred to Soho Theatre, London to sold out audiences and critical acclaim. Further work includes A Museum in Baghdad (Royal Shakespeare Company) which marked the first play by a woman of Arab heritage on a main stage at the RSC, Interference (National Theatre of Scotland) and the critically acclaimed Scenes from 68* Years - shortlisted for the James Tait Black Award (Arcola Theatre, London, 2016). Scenes has also been mounted in San Francisco, New York, France and in Tunisia in a British Council supported production called Trouf.  Hannah held the Heimbold Chair of Irish Studies at Villanova University and the Samuel Beckett Creative Fellowship. She is an Honorary Fellow of Birkbeck University (2024/5) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. 

Sam Parker is a playwright born in Torbay, Devon. He was a member of the Royal Court Introduction to Playwriting programme in 2016 and his debut short film, Musculinity, was produced by Channel 4 Random Acts. For the Narwhal Ensemble, Sam co-wrote Whey Down South and 2021: A Cornish Space Odyssey, both of which toured the South West. As Writer-in-the-Room, Sam has co-created Quizzy Rascals: An Evening with the Barbican Legends and Ernesettlers for Theatre Royal Plymouth. He was part of The North Wall’s 2023 Catalyst programme and was on attachment at Oxford Playhouse in 2024. Sam is part of the incoming BBC Writersroom Voices cohort for 2025. Outside of writing, Sam has worked extensively across a range of community and education settings, including in universities, schools and all three of Devon’s prisons. He was the Pathways Producer for Doorstep Arts CIC and co-led Doorstep Youth Theatre from 2021 to 2025. Sam has worked as a script reader and dramaturg for a range of theatres and prizes, including Papatango, The Bruntwood Prize and the Royal Shakespeare Company, and he was the co-founder of Down Stage Write CIC. Sam is currently the Artist Development Producer at Exeter Northcott and Barnfield Theatres. 

Muneera Pilgrim is a Poet, Cultural Producer, Writer and Broadcaster. She spoken for TEDx and WOW Festival, with her work garnering international acclaim. At heart, Muneera is a storyteller, concerned with telling stories to disrupt mainstream narratives of non-centred people globally and to beautify truths that are rarely told. Muneera regularly contributes to Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2; she is an alumni Associate Artist with the English Touring Theatre and she is an in-house poet and thinker with In Between Time, where she developed The Joy Project.  Muneera has written for The Guardian, Amaliah, Huffington Post, The Independent, Al Jazeera, Black Ballard and various other digital and print platforms. She has been featured across the BBC network, as well as on Sky News, Sky Arts, Al Jazeera, and various other television channels. In 2015 a documentary was commissioned and screened about her former group Poetic Pilgrimage called Hip Hop Hijabis. Rooted in spirituality she uses communication and art for edification, enrichment and change. Her debut poetry collection That Day She’ll Proclaim Her Chronicles was released in November 2021 through Burning Eye Books.  

They join Winsome Pinnock, an award-winning writer for stage, radio, film and television, described by The Guardian as “the godmother of black British playwrights”. Her work has been produced on the British stage and internationally since 1985. Winsome was the first black British female writer to have a play produced by the National Theatre. Her phenomenal body of work includes Leave Taking (Bush Theatre, Liverpool Playhouse, National Theatre), Rockets and Blue Lights (National Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange & BBC Radio 3), Mules (Royal Court and internationally) and many more.

Nancy Medina, Artistic Director of Bristol Old Vic says:

“Throughout the Autumn of last year we ran an open process to discover the writers that would join Winsome within the Five Year Commitment. This process was deeply inspiring; we could have recruited this residency several times over with extraordinary writing talent from across the country. At the end of that process however, it felt like our choice was clear; we were so excited about the opportunity of collaborating with Hannah, Sam and Muneera and all the thrilling possibilities of how they and Winsome might collaborate and exchange with us and each other over the next five years.

We originally intended to appoint three writers but we have made space for four simply because we believe these incredible writers – all at very different stages of their careers - represent the core of what we would like to achieve with this initiative. We want to support these writers to be brave; we want to nurture explosive talent from the South West in tandem with incomparable voices from across the country; we want to amplify stories and perspectives that we don’t hear enough of; and we want to create work with these writers that will resonate here at home, across the UK and around the globe. Let’s get started!” 

John Studzinski, Founder & Chairman of the Genesis Foundation says: “We were delighted to reward Nancy with the Genesis Foundation Prize in 2024. We were impressed with her ambitious plans for the Five-Year Commitment at Bristol Old Vic and hope this programme will show how vital it is, for the creative industries to hold space for writers, to nurture them and invest in their long-term literary development. We are delighted that the Genesis Foundation Prize recognized Nancy’s leadership and mentoring skills, and wish her the best with this new programme.”

Early Career Writers Group, led by Ross Willis

Alongside the Five Year Commitment, Bristol Old Vic’s ambition to support Early Career playwrights took a leap forward today with the announcement of the four writers who have joined the theatre’s inaugural Early Career Writers Group.  

In July, applications opened to writers based in the South West to take part in a new free-to-access programme hosted by Bristol Old Vic and led by local playwright Ross Willis (Wolfie, Wonder Boy) to support those at the very beginning of their career to take bold next steps with their practice.  

Sukina Noor, Erin Peacock, Raynor Taylor and Roxana Vilk are the first cohort of this scheme and are working with BOV from December 2024 to May 2025. (Applications for the 2025-26 cohort will open in July 2025.) 

Sukina Noor is the current Bristol City Poet (2024-2026). She has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, America and Africa and is currently on the board of Black Creatives Bristol. Sukina wrote her first play Afropean / Human Being that premiered at the Royal Flemish Theatre in Brussels in Feb 2020. Her debut poetry collection Love and Longing: Yearning for the Face of God was released in October 2023 and her spoken word album of the same name will be released in the Spring of 2025.  

Sukina says: "Theatre was one of the earliest ways I came to understand how the arts can be transformative and transportive, opening portals to different worlds and realities. As a poet I am used to telling my own stories and capturing the exhales of my heart, but theatre is a newer territory that I’d like to learn more about, so I am so excited for this opportunity.”

Erin Peacock is a writer of dark comedy. Originally from Peterborough, she now lives in Bristol and is driven to uncover our universal foibles, through and close observation and sly humour, often interrogating class identity, strained family dynamics and, mostly, death. 

Erin says: “I’m most looking forward to the freedom of experimenting with playwriting for the first time, as well as experiencing the joy of creating new work alongside other South West creatives.” 

Raynor Taylor comes from a film background is a dedicated writer and filmmaker, passionate about highlighting social concerns in modern society. Raynor's work has gained recognition in prestigious industry competitions, and she is a proud alumni member of The Network at the Edinburgh Film and TV Festival.

Raynor says: “I've spent years sat in the front row watching and observing the different art forms staged at the Bristol Old Vic, pen and pad geekily in hand.Theatre is raw, reactive and leaves you no place to hide. I honestly feel privileged that I get to write about the experiences I’m passionate about representing. I’ve been waiting to breathe life into these characters, and I could not be in better hands than with the Bristol Old Vic.” 

Roxana Vilk is an Iranian/British musician, actor and filmmaker. At the heart of her process is collaboration and an inclusive practice. She has worked with a wide variety of UK communities, as well as internationally across post-war zones, to create work around the themes of roots, heritage, belonging and identity. 

Roxana says: “I am a multi-disciplinary theatre-maker by nature and I’ve made work in all sorts of different forms but I am so excited to focus and develop my craft as a playwright. I have so much to say and I am looking forward to learning lots and being inspired!” 

Ben Atterbury, Literary Manager of Bristol Old Vic says: “We couldn’t be prouder to be announcing these four incredible writers today for our inaugural Early Career Writers Group. We received over 200 applications for this first group; a demonstration of both the demand and strength of the talent pool here in the South West. Erin, Raynor, Roxana and Sukina are all extraordinary voices who are just beginning their journey and we couldn’t be happier to be giving them a home for the next six months. They’re being led through this programme in inspiring fashion by the inimitable Ross Willis; a writer that we are so lucky to have here with us in Bristol. Their first few sessions have already been completely extraordinary and an absolute hoot; we can’t wait to see what comes next.” 

Bristol Old Vic’s Literary Department  

Alongside the Five Year Commitment and the Early Career Writers Group, BOV’s Literary Department continues a year-round programme that includes the commissioning and development of new work for both stages at Bristol Old Vic.  

Artists interested in working with Bristol Old Vic are encouraged to utilise the theatres Open Submissions platform, through which the Theatre’s team regularly reviews requests for project support, invitations to work, programming enquiries and artist introductions. 

The Literary Department is also continuing with its long-standing initiatives aimed at supporting and connecting with the widest number of artists from the South West and across the country. The Artist Forum continues in 2025. This is Bristol Old Vic’s free programme of support open to all artists which offers workshops, meet ups and offers that allow people to connect with each other and engage with Bristol Old Vic’s work. Any artist can sign up; click the link above for details. 

Bristol Old Vic’s Literary Programme includes:   

• Five Year Commitment A five year residency for four UK-based playwrights at different stages of their careers. 

• Commissioning and Grants Support to develop and commission new work at Bristol Old Vic, working locally and nationally to support writer-centred projects through commissions, co-production grants and seed grants. 

• Residencies We work in partnership with our friends at Hawkwood CFT to offer writing residencies through the year. 

• Early Career Writers Group Encouraging early career writers to take bold initial steps in developing their craft and practice. This new free-to-access programme is hosted by BOV and lead by local playwright Ross Willis, scheduled across several weeks from December 2024 to June 2025. 

• The Associates Scheme; working with four Associate Companies and two Associate Artists on a two-year attachment to Bristol Old Vic.
• The Artists Forum; a free programme of support for all artists offering workshops, meet ups and offers that allow people to connect with each other and engage with Bristol Old Vic’s work.