VIBRANT 2016

Now in its eighth consecutive year, the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre presents Vibrant 2016 – A Festival of Finborough Playwrights, its annual celebration of new writing, running between 30 October – 17 November 2016. This year’s festival also includes the Earl’s Court Film Festival 2016, and the European premiere of the After Orlando International Theatre Action, 70 short plays inspired by the Orlando nightclub shooting earlier this year.

As always, this year’s festival features an eclectic and idiosyncratic selection of staged readings of new works by UK and international playwrights, both established and new, discovered, developed or championed by the Finborough Theatre.

A unique opportunity to see behind the scenes at one of the UK’s most exciting theatres as we continue to discover and develop tomorrow’s plays today, brought to life by some of the UK’s most talented actors and directors – including two brand new writers discovered through last year’s ‘Introduce Yourself’ initiative, part of last year’s Vibrant Festival.

Since our first festival in 2009, our Vibrant festivals have included more than 100 new plays, more than 20 of which have gone on to be produced in full productions at the Finborough Theatre including Mirror Teeth by Nick Gill, The Man by James Graham, And I And Silence by Naomi Wallace, Black Jesus by Anders Lustgarten, Carthage by Chris Thompson, Nona Shepphard and Craig Adams’ musical version of Thérèse Raquin and This Heaven by Nakkiah Lui. Plays that went on to be produced by other theatres have included Bull by Mike Bartlett at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, and The Stock Da’Wa by David Eldridge at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs.

Despite remaining completely unsubsidised, the Finborough Theatre has an unparalleled track record of discovering new playwrights who go on to become leading voices in British theatre. Under Artistic Director Neil McPherson, it has discovered some of the UK’s most exciting new playwrights including Laura Wade, James Graham, Mike Bartlett, Chris Thompson, Jack Thorne, Alexandra Wood, Al Smith, Nicholas de Jongh and Anders Lustgarten; and directors including Blanche McIntyre, Robert Hastie and Sam Yates.

Vibrant 2016 – A Festival of Finborough Playwrights is again curated by Finborough Theatre Artistic Director Neil McPherson, winner of The Writers’ Guild Award for the Encouragement of New Writing, and twice winner of the OffWestEnd Award for Best Artistic Director.