ARCHIVED JULY 2019 - All info current to day of archiving. For latest news on the writers below, please get in touch with Writersroom Wales
Over the last ten months we鈥檝e been supporting a talented group of writers, affectionately known to us as Welsh Voices 18/19 . Run in partnership this year with and Radio Drama Wales, Welsh Voices is our invitational development group which meets monthly for masterclasses, workshops and industry insight. More than that it鈥檚 a creative community and a space for writers to come together.
We鈥檝e loved getting to know our Welsh Voices 18/19 and we would like you to know them better too. Hence why we asked them all to create a short audio monologue to give you just a flavour of their writing. You can hear those pieces below.
Catherine Dyson
Catherine is a writer and performer. Recent writing credits include Transporter, a solo show which she鈥檚 performed in London, Kolkata, and it鈥檚 currently touring Wales. It is being translated into German for production in Austria.
Catherine is Associate Artist with RedCape Theatre company for whom she has written two plays, Be Brave and Leave For the Unknown and black comedy Thunder Road, both of which toured the UK. Due to its success , Thunder Road will tour again later this year. Other projects in development include a musical for the Riverfront Theatre Newport.
For radio Catherine has written If We Were Fish (大象传媒 Radio Wales). Her short film script Hold Me Down was shortlisted for the Ffilm Cymru Beacons award. She has been part of two artist development projects with National Theatre Wales and was part of the Sherman New Welsh Playwright's Programme 2016.
Kevin Jones
Kevin's plays have been performed in Dublin, Amsterdam, New York, Connecticut, Oregon, Washington, Albuquerque and Hawaii. His most successful short play, The Lunchbreak Manifesto was performed at The Producers Club, off-off Broadway.
In the UK his short plays have been performed in London, in venues such as Southwark Playhouse (The Little Pieces of Gold Showcase) and Tristan Bates Theatre (The Significant Other Festival). His one-woman show Izzy鈥檚 Manifestos was performed at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017. Another solo show Cardiff Boy, was Chippy Lane's winner the same year. The play went on to have a run at The Other Room in 2018 (British Theatre Guide's "Wales' hit of the year.") An earlier play Shed Man was part of the Camden Fringe in 2016 and had a second production at the Sherman Theatre 2018.
Kevin has written and directed for 大象传媒 Wales鈥� 鈥淚t鈥檚 My Shout鈥�. As a twice Bafta Cymru nominated post-production drama editor, he has worked on Hinterland and Keeping Faith.
Anna-Lisa Jenaer
Anna-Lisa started her career in international TV sales before turning to writing in 2009. She is on the writing team of the 大象传媒 Welsh language continuing drama, Pobol y Cwm and has written over 60 episodes to date. Along with one of her writing partners, Bethan Davies, she was recently commissioned to write a five-part comedy series for 大象传媒 Radio Cymru. She is currently developing a gritty crime series for S4C and a more light-hearted crime series for a London producer. Anna-Lisa takes a regular break from crime to write animation and has worked for various national and international broadcasters, including CBeebies, Channel 5 and PBS Sprout.
Kyle Lima
Kyle is an actor and writer who began his writing career in 2007 when he created a one-man show, Heart and Soul inspired by generations of his own family; spanning Cape Verde to Cardiff. The show moved from Royal Welsh college of Drama to Wales Millennium Centre and is being developed for TV.
Kyle鈥檚 written and performed his own plays for Undeb theatre, and wrote and performed Choke, Ernie and Chickity a short three man play about 1950鈥檚 Butetown for Wales Black History Month which at the RWCMD in 2011. This year Kyle鈥檚 been developing work with The Other Room theatre (12 plays of Christmas) and Talking Shop for Omidaz in association with National Theatre Wales and Dirty Protest Theatre.
Emily White
Emily is an emerging screenwriter and playwright. She originally trained as an actress at RADA before changing tack and obtaining an MA in Theatre writing at the University of York in 2015.
In 2018 she won a place on the Channel 4 Screenwriting Course where she developed her pilot Land of My Fathers about a Syrian refugee coming to live in a small Welsh town. This pilot has got her meetings with some of the top production companies in the country and she has been selected for interview at the end of June by 大象传媒 Drama Room 2020. She is also writing a digital theatre piece for Wrapt Films/Open Sky Theatre.
Her play Pavilion will receive its world premiere at Theatr Clwyd in Sept-Oct this year and will be directed by the Olivier award winning director Tamara Harvey.
Durre Shahwar
urre is a writer, a creative practitioner and an Associate Editor for Wales Arts Review. She is co-founder of Where I鈥檓 Coming From an open mic that promotes BAME writing in Wales. In 2017, she was a Word Factory Apprentice, mentored by Alexei Sayle. In 2018, she was part of the Hay Writers at Work scheme. Durre is currently doing her PhD in Creative Writing at Cardiff University. Her work has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Know Your Place: Essays on the Working Class (2017, Dead Ink Books), Cheval 10 鈥� Terry Hetherington Young Writers Award (2017, Parthian Books), We Shall Fight Until We Win (2018, 404 Ink). Durre has worked and written for companies such as National Theatre Wales, British Council Wales, and the Metro. She is also a regular speaker and performer at various events and festivals.
Greg Glover
Greg lives in Newport. He has had a number of plays including Beasts and Family performed at the Bristol Old Vic, Mark of the Man, Two Sons at Sherman Cymru, which was also the winner of Script Slam and Jumping to Conclusions at The Riverfront. He has also had two pieces performed by Dirty Protest and short plays put on in The Old Red Lion Theatre and Theatr Clywd. He has recently won the Chippy and Scratch Best Playwright award at Theatre 503 with Black and White. He has written three short films as part of It鈥檚 My Shout, The Shirt, Be a Man and Monster, which were broadcast on 大象传媒 Wales.
Simon Howells
Simon has been a professional actor for over twenty years and has been writing seriously since 2004. Simon鈥檚 short screenplay 鈥楾hey Might Be Giants鈥� was broadcast on ITV Wales for the 2006 It鈥檚 My Shout film scheme, winning a number of awards. In 2007 he set up Unrelated Films, an independent production company. He penned four short under this banner, attaining a number of festival screenings, including Encounters, Bristol. In 2013 he worked alongside Yellobrick to develop 鈥楨verwake鈥�, an interactive street game. More recently Simon graduated with a Master鈥檚 Degree (distinction) in Creative Writing from Swansea University and has received Arts Council of Wales R&D funding for his play 鈥楤lood Sugar鈥�. His short screenplay 鈥楽it Bangor鈥� will be produced for It鈥檚 My Shout 2019. With a number of projects in development Simon has built up an extensive portfolio of radio, stage and screenplays, encompassing comedy, drama, thriller and horror.
Leila Navabi
Leila is a 20 year-old writer, comedian and actor from Wales.
Having begun her career at MTV, she has since gone on to write for MTV, Comedy Central, E4, and the 大象传媒. Most recently she began penning material for 大象传媒 Wales鈥� 鈥淭ourist Trap鈥� starring Sally Phillips, which will TX in the coming Autumn.
A brown, queer woman, she is an activist for both BAME and LGBTQ+ rights, and believes unless narratives represent an equal cross-section of our society, the best tales will remain untold.
She also spends many evenings performing stand-up comedy. Leila has appeared on-screen as herself for MTV, Comedy Central and 大象传媒 Sesh having worked extensively across their online video platforms.
Sam Bees
Sam Bees hails from Treorchy in the Rhondda Valley.
He studied acting at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and since his graduation in 2007 has turned his hand to writing.
Since his first production 鈥業n the River鈥� for Dirty Protest Theatre Company in 2008 at The Sherman, he has had over 20 works produced, including a recent co-production with Theatre 503 and The Other Room Theatre, 鈥楳eatman鈥�.
TV credits include 鈥楳ari鈥� a short film which was part of 大象传媒 Wales鈥� comedy drama Outsiders which TX鈥檇 in October 2018.
He is a published author and poet.
Carys Eleri
Carys is an award-winning writer, actress, singer and composer. She has an array of accomplishments to her name including: Winner of the 大象传媒鈥檚 Norman Beaton Fellowship, winner of Best Actress Wales Theatre Awards, BAFTA Cymru Nominee for Best Actress. Most recently her debut stage show as writer and performer 鈥楲ovecraft (Not the sex shop in Cardiff) won Best Cabaret award at the Adelaide Fringe, Best Small production for 鈥楤ritish Theatre Guide,鈥� along with wide critical acclaim. The show is a one-woman-comedy-science-musical based on the neuroscience of love and loneliness and is scheduled for a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe followed by a national tour in the Autumn. She is currently developing it for television with Severn Screen productions (Hinterland, Hidden, Apostle). She has recently been commissioned to write a series of comedy pop-videos for S4C. Her radio documentary 鈥楳y Week鈥� was recently nominated and came 鈥榟ighly commended鈥� at the Celtic Media Festival awards.
Welsh Voices is an annual invitation-only group. Writers are selected based on the work they鈥檝e submitted into 大象传媒 Writersroom schemes and open opportunities, talent scouting and recommendations from our partnering companies.
The Welsh Voices 19/20 will be introduced in the Autumn of this year.