Lorna French

Lorna French is a playwright, writing workshop leader and dramaturg. Lorna has most recently presented a reading of Esther at Jermyn Street Theatre in March 2022. Jacaranda was produced by Pentabus Theatre and Theatre by the Lake for a tour of rural venues in 2021. She also wrote for Limbik Theatre and the HearMe Now monologue series (via Titilola Dawudu and Tamasha Theatre Company) in 2021. She wrote the short play I See You Now, produced as part of the 15 Heroines plays at Jermyn Street Theatre in November 2020. Also the short radio drama NFA for Menagerie Theatre Company and the University of Cambridge in October 2020. Esther, a play about Black African Caribbean women of Birmingham and the West Midlands, was inspired by oral history interviews with several local women. It was shortlisted for the Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award 2020 and longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2020. Esther received a staged reading at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) in 2019 made possible by a Developing Your Creative Practice award from Arts Council England.

Other past work includes The Last Flag, a co-written Afternoon Drama for BBC Radio 4 and Eclipse Theatre Company in 2018 and a co-written adaptation of Jane Eyre for Bolton Octagon, also in 2018. In 2017, Lorna wrote a one-act play called Transitions for Birmingham Rep Education Department and RSA Academy. In 2016, she wrote an audio drama called You Say for the White Open Spaces monologues co-commissioned by Eclipse and Pentabus Theatre. Lorna is a two- time winner of the Alfred Fagon Award (in 2006 and 2016) and has presented work at, or written work for, Birmingham Rep, Oval House, MAC, Young Vic and New Wolsey Theatre.

Lorna is currently mentoring a writer for Red Talent Management and also working with the National Theatre’s Education Department on New Views. This involves working with young people writing plays in secondary schools in the Midlands and London. She is also working as a Lead Writer for Writing West Midlands running monthly Sparks writing workshops with young people. She has previously worked as an Associate Lecturer on the Writing for Performance MA and other BA Performing Arts Undergraduate programmes at the University of Derby. She has also worked as a dramaturg on Close to the Edge by Viv Manjaro (Planet Arts and Red Earth Collective) and on Revealed by Daniel Anderson (Rites of Passage Productions).