Hannah Lavery Announced as Lyceum Youth Theatre Writer in Residence

Edinburgh’s Lyceum Theatre has welcomed, for a 7 month paid fellowship, award-winning writer, poet, performer and director Hannah Lavery as Writer in Residence for the Lyceum Youth Theatre (LYT).

In her new role, Hannah will create work with and for LYT that aims to challenge, inspire and invigorate, seeking inspiration from other young people who are facing the challenges of the future head on and asking  the question: ‘What Would Greta Do?’

As well as her autobiographical play produced by National Theatre of Scotland, The Drift,Hannah’s critically acclaimed work includesLament for Sheku Bayoh that was commissioned by The Lyceum and performed first as part of the Edinburgh International Festival 2019 and that Hannah also directed in the recent Lyceum production that was filmed and streamed from the Lyceum’s stage.

She has also received a Summerhall Lab 2019 for her play Three Pints on a Sunday, written with Colin Bramwell, and was awarded a New Playwright Award from Playwrights Studio Scotland in the same year. She was named as one of BBC Writer Room Scottish Voices of 2020, and was selected for The British Council and National Centre for Writing’s International Literature Showcase. Also in 2020, Hannah featured in a special The Stage 100, which recognised those in the arts who have gone above and beyond in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Hannah Lavery said “I am so thrilled to be given the opportunity to work with LYT and to respond and be inspired by their energy and creativity. I’m hugely grateful to The Lyceum for the opportunity to develop as an artist and to in these isolating times be given an opportunity to be part of a community.”

This post, that  is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland,  offers the opportunity for a writer living in Scotland to explore the creativity, activism and energy of the young people who attend the LYT, benefitting from exchanges between generations that can enrich their experience of the arts whilst giving the writer a unique opportunity to develop their craft and work alongside the whole Lyceum team. There will be a travel provision allowing the Fellow to travel from across Scotland, but the residency is organised to allow for remote working. 

Irene Brown