Newbury’s Beth Flintoff’s appointment as Associate Playwright at the prestigious Royal Court Theatre a dream come true

CONGRATULATIONS to Newbury’s Beth Flintoff for the great news that following an extensive national open call-out, the Royal Court Theatre has announced that she, together with Ishy Din, will complete the team of Associate Playwrights at the Royal Court, announced earlier this year.

Beth will take on the position of Associate Playwright & Young Writers Associate.

The two join Mike Bartlett, Ryan Calais Cameron, Vinay Patel and Nina Segal as Associate Playwrights, and Gillian Greer as Associate Playwright & Dramaturg.

The Royal Court is the writers' theatre. It is a leading force in world theatre for cultivating writers – undiscovered, emerging and established.

Beth has worked locally as associate artist with The Watermill and also with Reading’s Rabble Theatre, where she was commissioned to write several historical plays about the history of Reading Abbey. Her play Henry I was in The Telegraph’s top 5 shows of 2023, and Spy in the Stalls’ Best Regional Show of the Year.

As the former Outreach Director at The Watermill she worked on many productions as writer, director or both, including David Copperfield, Life Lessons, Writers’ Block, The Girl Who Never Forgot, Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Othello and Doctor Faustus.

The call-out received over 500 applications, with a three-stage selection process to reach the final appointments.

David Byrne, artistic director of the Royal Court said: “It’s been genuinely brilliant to see how many of the writers who applied for this role are dedicated to giving back to the wider playwriting community. I’d like to thank the artistic team at the Court and our existing Associate Playwrights who undertook the almost impossible task of shortlisting such passionate and eloquent applications.

“The process has been inspiring and galvanising - and I couldn’t be more delighted to have Beth and Ishy joining us at the Court to be working on behalf of playwrights everywhere.”

Beth said: ‘When I started out, working in fringe theatres and making plays with young people and my local community, working somewhere like The Royal Court seemed like an impossible dream. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to support other writers, and in particular to encourage the next generation of young people to get writing and to have their voices heard.’

The Associate Playwrights work closely with the wider artistic leadership at the Royal Court, helping to develop the Royal Court’s mission, artistic programme and support of fellow writers, placing the writers’ theatre in the hands of playwrights. Mike Bartlett, Ryan Calais Cameron, Ishy Din, Vinay Patel and Nina Segal work one day a week at the Royal Court, feeding into a collective approach to the leadership of the theatre, while Beth will spend two days a week at the theatre, working on a soon-to-be-announced programme for young people, and Gillian Greer works at the theatre full-time, serving as lead dramaturg across the artistic programmes.