Enda Walsh to judge new playwriting competition

Enda Walsh is to judge a new playwriting competition aimed at finding new work related to addiction and substance misuse.

The Phil Fox Award for Playwriting has been launched by Outside Edge Theatre Company. It will invite submissions for entries from March to June 2020. The winner will be announced in November 2020.

The scripts will be judged by a panel of high-profile industry judges, including Walsh.

Walsh said: “It is a great honour to be associated with Outside Edge and I’m so looking forward to reading scripts submitted for this inaugural competition.

“The specific world of addiction, of substance dependence, is complex and challenging. To those submitting, I wish them the very best of luck with their plays. Be brave. Use the medium.”

Outside Edge Theatre Company produces work that is related to substance misuse, addiction and recovery.

The award is named after the company’s founder and first director, who died in 2014.

Outside Edge’s artistic director Matt Steinberg said: “It is a privilege to celebrate the extraordinary impact this organisation has had on so many people’s lives in both community settings and through our work on professional stages across the country.

“I feel honoured to lead a company spearheading change in the theatre industry by our introduction of diverse voices and stories about people affected by addiction, mental health problems and social exclusion.”

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