Shamser Sinha wins Pearson bursary
Theatre news
PLAYWRIGHT Shamser Sinha has won a bursary under the Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme. This is the eighth time that the Finborough Theatre has won a Pearson bursary, and again for the eighth time, it is the only unsubsidised theatre to be awarded one.
Previous Finborough Theatre recipients include Chris Lee (2000), Laura Wade (2005), James Graham (2006), Al Smith (2007), Anders Lustgarten (2009), Simon Vinnicombe (2010) and Dawn King (2011).
Three bursary holders (Laura Wade, James Graham and Anders Lustgarten) have also won the Catherine Johnson Award for Pearson Best Play.
Pearson awards five bursaries a year to writers of outstanding promise. Each award allows the playwright a twelve-month attachment to a theatre and commissions the writers for a new play. It also offers an additional award for the writer of the best play of the year.
Originally established as Thames Television Playwrights’ Scheme in 1973, Pearson took on the scheme in 1994. It is one of the most prestigious awards for new writing in British theatre and over the past thirty years, it has supported and helped launch some of Britain’s finest playwriting talent.
Previous recipients of the Pearson bursary over the last thirty years include Richard Bean, Alan Bleasdale, Gregory Burke, David Edgar, David Eldridge, Lee Hall, Jacqueline Holborough, Catherine Johnson, Charlotte Jones, Fin Kennedy, Hanif Kureshi, Nick Leather, Martin McDonagh, Gary Mitchell, Chloe Moss, Gary Owen, Joe Penhall, Winsome Pinnock, Billy Roche, Simon Stephens, Sue Townsend and Timberlake Wertenbaker.