Writing student takes centre stage, with a pie and pint on the side

A playwriting student has won a new prize to have her work performed as part of a popular lunchtime theatre programme.

Jenny Knotts from the University of Edinburgh has been awarded the inaugural David Maclennan Prize for her play, Home. It will be showcased in Glasgow theatre Oran Mor’s long-standing series, A Play, a Pie and a Pint.

Jenny’s winning piece is a comedy tinged with sadness, centring on twin sisters Maggie and Agnes’ last day in a house that has been their home for decades. Maggie suffers from Alzheimer’s and Agnes uses a wheelchair.

The twins are from Ireland and their voices are inspired by Jenny’s own grandmother.

Jenny was moved to write Home after watching a documentary about the care of elderly people in Scotland.

Jenny said: “Winning the David MacLennan Prize is a dream come true - I have been going to see plays at Oran Mor for years and know how important it is to the Scottish theatre scene. I think it is so generous of them to support a new writer like myself with a fully commissioned play, and I can’t wait to see where this takes me.”

David Maclennan is an acclaimed Artistic Director at Oran Mor who champions new writing - producing more than 30 weeks of new plays every year. He initiated the new award as a platform to help establish new voices in playwriting from the University of Edinburgh.

David said: “We are delighted to produce Home at Oran Mor - Jenny’s distinctive voice is unlike any I have heard before and I think our audiences will really enjoy it. The calibre of the students’ writing was incredibly high this year and it was a challenge to choose a winner. Moreover, the partnership with the University has been a success and we hope it continues.”

Jenny is a student on the University of Edinburgh’s MSc in Playwriting, led by award-winning playwright Nicola McCartney. The programme aims to give its students real experience in Scotland’s theatre scene.

Jenny Knott’s Home will be performed in Oran Mor at 1pm from 25-30 November. Tickets can be purchased here:

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