It strikes me that the working life of playwright and actor Luke Norris may be built on two foundation stones.

I have long been taken by the idea that the county of Essex is a perfect breeding ground for writers and for playwrights in particular. The county that gave us Kenny Emson and Rebecca Prichard, David Eldridge and Sarah Kane is striking for the diversity of its economic and social geography. All kind of people come from and move through Essex. Romford, the Havering town that Norris was born in is the quintessence of the county. A market town for eight hundred years it brings together, in its cauldron of booze and nights out and transport routes and good shopping, exactly that clash and diversity and contradiction that energises a writers imagination.

This podcast was produced with support from the original Playwrights Podcast team Simon Stephens and Anoushka Warden.

Sophia Chetin-Leuner is a writer from London.

Her work for theatre includes THIS MIGHT NOT BE IT, an unflinchingly human look at NHS mental health services, which was short listed for the Women’s Prize for Playwrighting in 2020, followed by a sell-out run at the Bush Theatre in 2024.

Sophia’s play PORN PLAY, which she begun writing whilst studying in New York, will debut at the Royal Court Theatre Upstairs in November this year, directed by Josie Rourke and starring One Day’s Ambika Mod.

Released 2 Sep 2025: Together with director Katie Mitchell, Nina Segal and Melanie Wilson make up the team co-creators behind Cow | Deer, a new experiment in performance, in which using only sound and no words, a quartet of performers and Foley artists evoke the lives of two animals – a cow and a deer.

Released 2 September 2025: Daniel Evans, Jo McInnes and Madeleine Potter make up the cast of the original production of Sarah Kane’s 4.48 Psychosis, which opened at the Royal Court in the year 2000. Daniel, Jo and Madeleine, reprised their roles in 4.48 Psychosis here at the Royal Court, 25 years on from its debut, directed by original director James Macdonald. The production ran here until 5 July, before embarking on a run at the RSC.

Released 2 September 2025: Billy Barret, Ellice Stevens and Frew make up the team behind After the Act. Exploring a defining moment in LGBTQ+ history, After the Act played at the Royal Court following an acclaimed national tour, in May 2025.

Released 4 April 2025: Joel Tan has been described as one of the most exciting Singaporean playwrights of his generation. In Singapore his plays have been produced by leading theatre companies including Checkpoint Theatre and Wild Rice. Recently, his work in the UK includes the Living Newspaper at the Royal Court, as well as Love in the Time of the Ancients, and No Particular Order. Joel's play Scenes from a Repatriation runs at the Royal Court Theatre this April.

Released 27 Feb 2025: Khawla Ibraheem is a playwright, actor and director based in the Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights. She is a regular at many theatres in Palestine and outside of Palestine she has collaborated with many theatres and institutions, including as a fellow at the McDowell, and as an artist in residence at the Sundance Theatre Lab. Khawla's one-woman play, A Knock on the Roof, opens at the Royal Court later this month.