Pentabus theatre company has announced Liv Hennessy as its first ever Jerwood Foundation Writer-in-Residence. She will take up the year long residency from January.
Liv is originally from Hereford and wrote her first short play on the Pentabus Young Writer programme. Her first full length play, Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial ran in the West End and was nominated for the Noël Coward Olivier Award. Liv has also worked as a story editor and producer on ITV’s Emmerdale.
Jerwood Foundation is providing £40,000 in funding over two years to fund the Bursary. Liv will spend time with the company at their new home in Ludlow Assembly Rooms, where her first ever short play was performed. She will teach on the Young Writers programme she came up through, and be supported to write a brand-new play.
She said: “I’m so excited to be returning to Pentabus – the place where I wrote my first ever short play as a young writer. In what is a difficult climate for theatre – specifically for new writing – this residency will give me the time and support to work on a brand-new play. Pentabus has such a strong commitment to new writing, and to bringing theatre to the rural communities I grew up in, and I can’t wait to get started. A huge thank you to Jerwood Foundation.”
Pentabus Artistic Director Elle While added: “Liv is an exceptional playwright and there is a beautiful full circle to her becoming the next Pentabus Jerwood Writer in Residence as she began her writing career as one of our Young Writers. Her first ever ten-minute play was written through the Pentabus course and staged here at the Ludlow Assembly Rooms. We can’t wait to welcome her into the team for the next year.”
CAPTION: New Pentabus Writer-in-Residence Liv Hennessy. Photo: Fran Cattaneo.
