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Writers profilesTEXT works with a varied group of writers, each with a unique set of skills. All have extensive experience working in the classroom and working creatively with teachers. Profiles of TEXT core writersOn this page: Andrew WalshAndrew Walsh is a writer/director who has been leading workshops for primary, secondary and tertiary level students for twenty years and talks to education professionals for the last five years. Andrew's professional writing credits include: television credits such as Byker Grove, Emmerdale, and Family Affairs; theatre credits with Quondam Theatre, Hell or High Water, The Ben Kingsley Theatre and the Attenborough Theatre. Andrew's work on more than 35 videogames includes EAs Harry Potter, Prince of Persia, and Medieval II Total War. Andrew has worked in more than sixty schools as well as leading youth drama workshops and directing youth plays. This has been with his own company - Hell or High Water, as well The Royal Exchange, Quondam Theatre, East side Educational Trust and TEXT. Andrew has led INSET training sessions on writing and drama in Islington. He holds an M.A. in Television and Radio Scriptwriting from Salford University. Website: www.andrewwalsh.com Val RuttVal Rutt was born in South London and her best childhood memory is of her dad and her three brothers dancing out of the house and into the street when England won the world cup. She writes for children and young adults and was the first Writer in Residence at The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Val is also a primary-school teacher and storyteller. Val still lives in London but has settled north of the river in Islington where she lives with her family and a dog called Dave. Website: www.valrutt.com Diane SamuelsDiane Samuels was born and raised in Liverpool. She currently lives in London where she has been writing since the early 1990s. “Kindertransport” has recently been made a set text for English literature GCSE by AQA. It won the Verity Bargate and Meyer-Whitworth Awards, was first produced by Soho Theatre Company in 1993 and has been translated into many languages, performed in the West End, Off Broadway and all over the world, revived in 2007 in an acclaimed production by Shared Experience Theatre Company. Her other plays include "3 Sisters on Hope Street", Liverpool Everyman and Hampstead Theatres, 2008; “The True-Life Fiction of Mata Hari”, Palace Theatre, Watford, 2002; “Cinderella’s Daughter”, Trestle Theatre tour, 2005. Diane has also written widely for BBC radio, plays including “Swine”, “Doctor Y”, “Watch Out for Mister Stork” and “Hen Party”. For younger audiences, her plays include “One Hundred Million Footsteps” for Quicksilver Theatre Company; “Chalk Circle”, “Frankie’s Monster” and "How To Beat a Giant" at the Unicorn Theatre. Diane has wide experience of teaching creative writing, lecturing at universities and running workshops for organizations as diverse as IATE (Institute for Arts in Therapy and Education), Theatre Royal Haymarket and the National Gallery. She runs a regular writers group, is writer-in-residence at Grafton Primary School in Islington, north London and Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of Westminster. Diane was one of a creative team awarded a Science on Stage and Screen Award by the Wellcome Trust in 2001. The resulting work, "PUSH", was performed at The People Show Studios in London in June 2003. Her short story, "Rope" was one of the winners in BBC Radio 4's online short story competition, broadcast in 2002. As Pearson Creative Research Fellow 2004/5 at the British Library, she completed research into magic and her booklet "A Writer's Magic Notebook" was published in 2006. Diane's article in the Gurdian on creative writing in schools Steve MartinSpecialising in the fields of Black British history and literature, S I Martin is a writer and archive researcher who has undertaken projects for numerous organisations including the National Archives, English Heritage, the National Maritime Museum, the Museum of London, the education and archive departments of several London boroughs and the BBC. He is the author of the novel Incomparable World and the non-fiction title Britain’s Slave Trade. He is the founder of the 500 Years of Black London walking tours. He has conducted writing and history research projects in several universities worldwide. His novels for younger readers include Jupiter Williams and Jupiter Amidships. Steve's profile (on Hodder Children's website) Jim DunkJim Dunk is a writer,(poetry, plays, short stories and educational material). He has written five plays, two for Arc Theatre, one of which, SAFE was comissioned by the Olympic Delivery Authority. He has also had a number of short stories commissioned by Arc Theatre. He delivers poetry workshops in schools, colleges and to Writers' Groups. Jim is also a professional theatre director; The Artistic Director of Isosceles Theatre Company and an Associate Director of Arc Theatre. He works as a Consultant in Communication and Leadership Training for The Speechworks. He also works, in a consultative capacity, as Co-ordinator of the TEXT: Writers in Schools Project. Paul HerzbergPaul is an award-winning playwright, actor and author of “ActWrite”, devised for pupils enabling them to tackle literacy and performance at the same time. He has worked extensively as a Writer in schools. This has included curriculum based work (WWll, Greek Myths) and issue driven subjects (Big Fish Little Fish) dealing with transition to secondary School. He has also taught screenwriting in Secondary School, culminating in short films. Paul’s strength is in developing literacy and performance skills in pupils with a single project. As an actor: work at Almeida, Mermaid, Royal Exchange and Chichester and in over twenty television / film productions. His play The Dead Wait was adapted for radio / performed at the Royal Exchange and Market, published by Oberon, shortlisted for the Verity Bargate Award, winner of a Manchester Evening News Award. His film Almost Heaven won the Nashville International best feature award, and he has written extensively for BBC Radio Drama. Childrens Discovery Centre |
"When Andy came we learnt drama, and my body had so much energy inside me. This made me feel like I was a proper actor. We did a play all about when we were at the funfair, and we had to write about it. Our one was not as good as it could have been, so we did another play." Year 5 child at Rotherfield Primary School "For me, the Writers in Schools Project is uniquely powerful when combining scripting techniques and performance. In this way, the pupils have mastery over their own “voice” and I have witnessed the most unlikely children coming up with the most remarkable skills." |