The Traverse Fifty have landed

14 January 2013 ← return to listing

Today is the day we've been waiting for since we launched the Traverse Fifty playwriting competition in September last year. The excitement in the theatre was palpable as we welcomed the winners of our international search for new writing talent into the building this morning for the launch of the year-long project.

Associate director Hamish Pirie (pictured), who leads the project, expressed to the group his enjoyment in reading their winning plays. He said "I've loved having your work inside my head for the past few months", before introducing artistic director Orla O'Loughlin. Orla told the fifty writers that running the project was a key aspiration since starting at the Traverse last year, and that she was committed to finding the best new work through the project, and bringing it to the Traverse stage.

All 50 winning plays will be directed by Hamish and Orla, and presentedat the end of next week. The project has received an incredible response, and due to popular demand we've added an extra performance of the 50 plays on Friday to the original performance on Saturday - it's your chance to see the fizzing energy that caught the judges' eyes.   

The 50 plays for Edinburgh will be performed next Friday 25 and Saturday 26 January, and the Traverse Fifty will be engaged in events throughout the year. Keep an eye on the Traverse website for the latest news and events.