The Stage

Unproduced play is surprise winner of ACE Whiting prize

Published Tuesday 28 February 2006 at 11:25 by Alistair Smith

For the first time in its 40-year history, Arts Council England’s John Whiting Award has been won by an unproduced play, How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found by Fin Kennedy.

The young writer, who joins a list of prize-winners including Tom Stoppard, David Edgar, Edward Bond, David Greig and Owen McCafferty, becomes the 38th recipient of the award, which was founded in 1965.

Speaking as he accepted his prize, Kennedy commented: “I can’t tell you how much this award means to me. I was so surprised… The play has been on the market for the whole of 2005 and it has been turned down by everybody so, I guess, watch this space. It has, at a stroke, revived my flagging career.”

Meanwhile, Neil Duffield was presented with the sixth Children’s Award for theatre writing for his play Lost Warrior, which was performed at the Dukes Theatre in Lancaster.

Duffield commented: “It’s not the first time one of my plays has been submitted but I’m delighted it’s this one that has won. It was commissioned as a Christmas show for a regional rep…[and] the Christmas show is sometimes seen as a money spinner to fund the rest of the season. I have always felt that that theatre should be more than entertainment.

“Few theatres will produce an unknown title from an original script. I’d like to see more theatres following that example… Children’s theatre needs all the focus and profile it can get.”

The winners received £6,000 each and were presented with their awards by Young Vic artistic director David Lan, himself a former recipient of the John Whiting Award.

“The two winners both have distinct voices which they have used to create excellent pieces of theatre,” said Lan. “They thoroughly deserve this recognition. Writing a play is the hardest part of making a piece of theatre and it is great that the arts council’s awards recognise this by celebrating and rewarding new and innovative work.”