We’re delighted to announce the appointment of The North Wall’s first ever Writer-in-Residence, Sam Potter, thanks to a grant from The Backstage Trust.
Sam Potter brings her considerable expertise to expand our programme for young writers aged 18-25. She has been instrumental in helping select the participants for this year’s TheatreCraft, a unique residency for writers and directors taking place during the Easter holidays. Sam will offer a series of group workshops, surgeries and one-to-one sessions, offering in-depth feedback, useful tips and techniques and intensive script development guidance. This means The North Wall will be able to support a greater number of young writers than even before.
Sam Potter trained at Dartington College of Arts, Trinity College Dublin, the NT and the RSC. Her debut play, MUCKY KID (Theatre 503) earned her a Most Promising New Playwright Offie nomination and a place on the 2015 Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme. In 2015 she was Papatango’s Resident Playwright supported by the BBC Performing Arts Fund and was one of five writers invited to take part in the Tricycle’s inaugural New Writers’ Programme, NW6.
As a director, she has worked at Hampstead Theatre, the RSC, the NT and Glyndebourne Opera. She was the Literary Manager at Out of Joint from 2011 until 2013 and Creative Associate at Headlong from 2013 until 2015. She has run writer’s groups, workshops and masterclasses for a wide variety of organisations including the RSC, Headlong, Soho Theatre, Salisbury Playhouse and the Liverpool Everyman.
Sam will be acting as lead mentor on the TheatreCraft project (27 March – 7 April), and will mentor young writers attached to the Summer ArtsLab programme in July. She will also take a central role in presenting Alchymy – the North Wall’s first ever festival of new plays, which takes place from 7 – 9 April 2017, in celebration of the North Wall’s tenth anniversary year.
