Painting by Emma. Original photo by Maria Spadafora.
Mentoring and Writer Development
The Writing Squad: Core Team member, supporting and mentoring young writers aged 16-21 who live, work or study in the North of England. The support is rigorous and long term and is shaped by the constant renewal of the needs, ambitions and circumstances of the writers. The Writing Squad takes Squad writers seriously as writers, artists and activists, they just happen to be young. I love this job. It’s an amazing thing to travel with/learn from/support these talented young writers as they come into their own. Best. Job. Ever.
Dramaturgy & Script Editing
A Love Revolution: Ladies of Midnight Blue and Opera North: I worked with musicians Hannabiell Sanders and Yilis del Carmen Suriel (Ladies of Midnight Blue) on their upcoming family friendly show at Howard Assembly Rooms, Leeds (March 2024). A Love Revolution is a joyous Afro-futuristic journey through music, space, time, and imagination powered by Hannabiell and Yilis’s melodic percussive, brass, mbira and vocal infused music. Our work together focused around Ladies of Midnight Blue’s explorations of ancestral Taino and West African Adinkra (pronounced ed-in-kra) symbols, that hold wisdoms, proverbs and tools on how to live a full life with joy. We thought about the emotional journey of this audio-visual performance. The show is an upbeat fusion of rhythm and image, live and electronic sound that takes the audience on a journey of discovery. You may arrive as an individual but you’ll leave having experienced coming alive to the joys of community. This show is all about tuning into embodied experience and feeling the power for change and understanding this brings. I can’t wait for it to come to Leeds.
Rob Green Resonance Residency: Working with Rob Green and Opera North on Rob’s Resonance Residency Project, developing a concept and shooting script for an 'edit in camera’ one-take music video. It was an incredible process from start to finish. The EP's first single I'LL BE AROUND was made BBC Introducing Track of the Week in September 2023. The finished video can be watched here: Manhood Visual EP
“Emma really opened up my heart and mind while developing my project; she was a crucial collaborator and coach on a tight deadline project. She created a supportive space to really explore, hone in on detail whilst also keeping an eye on the deadlines and big picture. I am so proud of this project and its content; it simply wouldn’t have been possible without Emma and her incredible support.”
Rob Green, Musician
Guerilla Gardening: Working with Theatre Blah Blah Blah on the devising process and R and D of their next theatre show for Year 2 children, all about a little boys adventure that leads him to make friends with a lonely, refugee who has a guerrilla garden. Together they begin to discover a whole new world of fun. The show explores why people grow things and how growing plants brings the chance of reconnecting people to nature and the community around them. It was absolutely delightful working with Deborah Pakkar-Hull, Dermot Daly, Qasim Mahmoud and Andy Plant to explore how to begin to find this story and to imagine how it might be staged. This project will now go on to further development and (funding allowing, come on universe) will tour 2022/2023.
“Emma’s input was invaluable. She supported us to create a playful, productive and collaborative space in which to explore ideas. Her ability to hone the questions sitting at the heart of the work and help us to distil our main intentions, provided a structure within which we could work freely and with a great sense of play. Emma brings a wonderful energy to the room – she is celebratory, generous and rigorous; sensitive to the needs of the work and the people who are making it. I very much hope to have the opportunity to work with Emma again in the future”
Deborah Pakkar-Hull, Artistic Director of Theatre Company Blah Blah Blah
A Perfect World: Working with writer and storyteller Matthew Bellwood. Working as an illustrator and dramaturge on a fascinating research and development process for Matthew’s solo show. A Perfect World explores queer joy, queer hope and the representations of queerness through history. I explored how my text and image interacted with Matthew’s writing. It was a particularly exciting / unusual job as it involved developing illustrations for an outreach engagement pack Matthew developed. For more information visit Matthew’s website: http://www.somestories.co.uk/shows/a-perfect-world
Thyme Cafe: Working with new writer Kerry Wright and Bradford Producing Hub as Kerry has worked on the first drafts of her exciting, first full length play. Thyme Cafe explores the experience of children and Young People when their parents are imprisoned. It’s been an amazing experience to support/facilitate Kerry as she’s written this piece. It’s funny and heartbreaking. The play now has Tess Seddon attached to direct and will be produced in 2022.
“Working with Emma has been an absolute joy. She has a wonderful way about her that is so encouraging of everything you do, but pushes you super hard. I truly believe she has brought the best out in the project and my confidence as a writer has been boosted tenfold.“
Kerry Wright, Writer
Dancing Bear: Dramaturgy with Jamie Fletcher and Co and Writer Beccy Owen on a show exploring LGBTQ+ people’s experience in relation to Christianity. ‘How and who should we love?’ Touring 2018 to Palace Theatre, Manchester, West Yorkshire Playhouse and beyond.
"Working with Emma has opened up so many creative doors for me. Emma has been absolutely vital in helping me to develop a deeply personal, highly complex and challenging piece of work. Emma is a skilful collaborator and dramaturg, bringing boundless courage, unique insight and often much-needed levity to the process of making a show. In doing so, Emma fosters those same qualities in others as she goes. She has been one of the most encouraging, stimulating, sensitive and influential artists I have worked with in recent years." - Beccy Owen, Writer
“Not only is Emma a good laugh and a joy to work with but she’s also a brilliant Dramaturg. Working with her on Dancing Bear has been ace. Emma has a wonderful way of keeping you on track and pulling you back to the controlling idea of the show which is not always an easy task when dealing with difficult subject matter and lots of creative thoughts and ideas floating around. She is a caring and dedicated collaborator.” - Jamie Fletcher, Director
Woke: Dramaturgy with the hip hop artist Testament for his one man show about feminism WOKE. Touring West Yorkshire Playhouse, London Roundhouse, Camden People’s Theatre and Manchester Royal Exchange 2017/18.
“Emma was crucial in helping me find my own artistic voice and developing a very personal and ambitious work for West Yorkshire Playhouse Leeds, Royal Exchange Manchester, and The Roundhouse London. She brought critical insight, opened up new ways of thinking about creativity and storytelling and was also great at talking to me as an artist and encouraging me onto the next goal.” - Andy Brooks AKA Testament
Pro Forma: Spoon Theory: Dramaturgy with Bex Boucher on a work in progress scratch of her one woman show about surviving the loss of a limb and then the subsequent devastating experience of applying for PIP (Personal Independence Payments). Scratched at Gala Theatre, Durham and part of Live Lab at Live Theatre, Newcastle in 2018
Littley Car: Script Editing for Chris Boylan on his short film set in Bradford.
"Working with Emma is always a pleasure. Emma has a deceptively light-handed way of patiently asking the right questions in the draft process and providing honest but supportive feedback. She always had great suggestions to keep the writing flowing and was incredibly organised at setting up review meetings and keeping the process on track. Emma is a very modest master of her craft." - Chris Boylan, Director
Caught Short: Feedback Sessions for the ‘Digital Shorts’ Programme. Mentor for writers on the ‘Caught Short’ programme for Screen Yorkshire,.
Teaching
University of Leeds / School of Performance and Cultural Industries: PT Tutor lecturing on the Writing for Film & TV module on the Writing For Performance and Publication MA 2017
University of Leeds / Theatre Workshop: Regular Guest Lecturer / Workshop Leader for BA in English Literature and Theatre Studies students 2015 - 2017
Leeds Beckett University / Northern Film School: :PT Tutor for the Short Film Screen Writing Module on the Filmmaking BA 2015 & 2016. PT Tutor in Creative Writing/Thinking for MA Scriptwriting, Producing & Directing Students 2003-12. 2nd Reader delivering Script Reports & Feedback Sessions for the MA Screenwriting. 2003 - 2006
Creative Partnerships, West Yorkshire: Creative Agent at Guard House Primary School, Keighley, developing an educational action research project with artists and teachers. 2006 – 2009.
Creative Writing Sessions delivered for Script Yorkshire, Keats House, Square Chapel, Morley Literature Festival, West Yorkshire Playhouse, SAA-UK, Bradford Council.