Lucy Ann Kirkwood FRSL (born c. 1984 ) is a British playwright and screenwriter. She is known for her plays Chimerica (2013) and The Children (2016).
31-755: Kirkwood was born in Leytonstone around 1984 and raised in east London . She has a degree in English literature from the University of Edinburgh , where she performed as part of improvisational comedy troupe, the Improverts and wrote for the Edinburgh University Theatre Company . In 2005, Kirkwood wrote and starred in her first play, Grady Hot Potato , at the Bedlam Theatre . It was also selected for
62-464: A pub and a hotel. The main thoroughfare, Leytonstone High Road, is part of an ancient highway from Epping to London, on the borders of Epping Forest . A small hamlet at Leytonstone had existed since the early 14th century, when it formed part of the parish of Leyton St Mary . The name Leytonstone, originally "Leyton-atte-Stone", comes from nearby Leyton ("settlement (tun) on the River Lea") and
93-546: A children's soft-play area. Wanstead Flats has 60 football pitches, including eight full size pitches. This facility is overseen by City of London Corporation and amateur football teams play every Sunday. 5K Parkruns take place in Wanstead Flats at 9am every Saturday morning, starting and finishing at Harrow Road Pavilion. The North Star on Browning Road is home to the North Star Velo cycling club. Leytonstone
124-545: A commissioning grant from the Manhattan Theatre Club to write the play. Thomas Bockelmann directed Mosquitoes at the German Staatstheater Kassel on 30 August 2018 as a three-hour stage production. Kirkwood's next play was titled The Welkin and concerned the case of a woman convicted of murder who claims to be pregnant, preventing a death sentence from being carried out. The play revolves around
155-527: A group of 12 matrons assembled to determine the truth of her claim. The Welkin was performed at London's National Theatre in the first half of 2020. In 2021, Kirkwood wrote the play Maryland , which was staged shortly after at the Royal Court Theatre, and later adapted into a BBC dramatic television film. In June 2022, Kirkwood's play Rapture , opened at the Royal Court Theatre , credited in
186-624: Is Maryland railway station in Stratford ; which is on the Elizabeth line . From 25 October 2021, Leytonstone will be in London's Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ); which is to be expanding from central London up to the North Circular and South Circular roads. Leytonstone schools include: Leytonstone Leisure Centre on Cathall Road provides a gym and 25-metre main pool, sports hall, fitness studios, and
217-561: Is a London Overground railway station, located in the south of Leytonstone, serving the Gospel Oak to Barking line . In 2018, the line was electrified to allow for longer trains, with an additional capacity; after engineering and supply delays, these were introduced in June 2019. Close to the southern end of Leytonstone ( 3 ⁄ 4 mile or 1.2 kilometres south of the Cann Hall Road boundary)
248-616: Is an area in East London , England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest . It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, Stratford to the south-west, Leyton to the west, and Walthamstow to the north-west, and is 7 miles (11 km) north-east of Charing Cross . Historically , it was part of the ancient parish of Leyton in the Becontree hundred of Essex . The first documented evidence of settlement
279-550: Is from the 14th century, describing a hamlet at 'Leyton-atte-stone'; a reference to the Roman milestone located within the area, that formed a northern boundary of the parish. It remained largely rural until the 19th century, becoming part of the London postal district in 1856, the same year its railway station was opened (now on the Central line ). When Greater London was created in 1965,
310-568: The Bush Theatre in 2008. It starred Jamie Foreman and Sheridan Smith . In the same year she also contributed to the Bush's 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover . Her version of Ibsen 's Hedda Gabler , titled Hedda , premiered at London's Gate Theatre in 2008 to favourable reviews. Kirkwood's promenade play about sex trafficking, It Felt Empty When the Heart Went At First but It Is Alright Now ,
341-592: The Municipal Borough of Leyton merged with Chingford and Walthamstow to form the London Borough of Waltham Forest. At the northern end of Leytonstone High Road is The Green Man ; a public house and a nearby road junction under which the A12 runs. Leytonstone is noted for being the birthplace of Alfred Hitchcock , with a number of references to the filmmaker around the area, including painted murals , mosaics ,
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#1732858600570372-572: The National Student Drama Festival . The following year, in 2006, Kirkwood took two productions of her second play, Geronimo to the Edinburgh Fringe , under the title The Umbilical Project . The two productions, Cut and Uncut , were an experiment in cutting the cord between writer and production. Uncut was directed by Kirkwood herself and Cut by a completely separate company under the direction of Matt Addicott. No contact
403-563: The Royal Court Theatre , starring Janie Dee and Julian Barrett and directed by Simon Godwin . In May 2013, Kirkwood's play Chimerica , which examines the relationship between the US and China since the Tiananmen Square protests through the eyes of a former activist, and features over forty scene changes and British-Chinese actors, opened at the Almeida Theatre . The play transferred to
434-502: The West End a few months later, in August 2013. The play's title echoes the portmanteau word " Chimerica ", invented by economists to define the intertwined economies of the US and China. At the 2014 Olivier Awards , Chimerica won for best new play, best director (Lyndsey Turner), best lighting (Tim Lutkin and Finn Ross), best sound (Carolyn Downing), and best set design (Es Devlin). Kirkwood
465-620: The Central line every 10 minutes between White City and Loughton (in Essex ) or Hainault via Leytonstone. A series of tiled mosaics commemorating the local film director Alfred Hitchcock line the entrance passages to the station. Leytonstone Bus Station stands either side of exits for Leytonstone tube station; key routes include the 257 to Stratford, the W15 to Hackney, and the night bus N8 to Tottenham Court Road. Leytonstone High Road railway station
496-646: The Roman milestone called the High Stone. The milestone still stands at the junction of Hollybush Hill (the A1199 road with Woodford ) and New Wanstead (the A113 road with Woodford Bridge ), near the eastern bounds of the parish. It is a restored 18th-century obelisk set up on an earlier stump, traditionally described as a Roman milestone, possibly marking an extension of the Roman road from Dunmow to Chigwell into London. Two of
527-563: The State's involvement. In the universe of this play, the UK Government has placed an embargo on the Royal Court (or theatre in question) over the contents presented, and the legality of its production are in question. Thus the opening moments of the play include an explanation that the theatre has decided to stage the play covertly. It features both an actor playing Kirkwood and a supposed cameo from
558-519: The ancient parish of Leyton in the Becontree Hundred of Essex . It became a separate ecclesiastical parish in 1845. The parish of Leyton formed part of the West Ham Poor law union . In 1894 it became part of Leyton Urban District , which was incorporated in 1926 as the Municipal Borough of Leyton . Leytonstone became part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest in 1965 when Greater London
589-462: The area into a suburban dormitory town by the end of the 19th century. However, the forest land in the north and east of Leytonstone escaped development following a prolonged public campaign, when the Epping Forest Act 1878 preserved more than 200 acres (80 hectares) of open space for public use. In 1898 the department store Bearmans , opened by Frank Bearman to sell furniture and clothing,
620-457: The marketing under the pseudonym Dave Davidson, and the false title That Is Not Who I Am . The misleading advertisement ties into the themes and world of the story. The play purports to be a verbatim docudrama concerning paranoia and distrust of the UK Government following the 2020 pandemic and ensuing political scandals. It details the relationship, surveillance, and murder of two climate activist content creators, leaving lingering questions about
651-416: The obelisk inscriptions are still just legible, others not: Other Roman archaeological features have been found in nearby Leyton , including "a Roman cemetery south of Blind Lane, and massive foundations of some Roman building, with quantities of Roman brick... discovered in the grounds of Leyton Grange." In 1722, author Daniel Defoe travelled through "Layton-stone, a place by some known, now as much, by
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#1732858600570682-453: The real Kirkwood herself. Kirkwood portrayed this latter version of herself in the original production at select performances. In 2023, it was announced that Kirkwood would write a new musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches at London’s National Theatre . Kirkwood wrote for the second, third, and fourth series of the teen drama Skins , broadcast between 2008 and 2010. In 2014, her drama series The Smoke , made by Kudos ,
713-924: The seat for the Labour Party . For elections to the London Assembly it is part of the North East constituency and the AM is Sem Moema of the Labour Party, who succeeded Jenette Arnold in 2021 . Leytonstone tube station is in Travelcard Zones 3 and 4 on the Central line of the London Underground , and serves as the last stop before the line splits into the Fairlop Loop and the branch to Epping (Zone 6). Since 2016, night tube trains run on Friday and Saturdays on
744-573: The sign of the Green-Man". Leytonstone, along with Stratford , Leyton and Woodford, was one of the villages Defoe called desirable country retreats for wealthy merchants and financiers within an easy ride of the City . Leytonstone remained largely rural until the opening of the railway at Leytonstone station in 1856, which gave quick and easy access to Stratford and central London. This, with increased availability of office and industrial work, had transformed
775-617: Was writer in residence at Clean Break , a theatre company focused on telling the stories of imprisoned women, in 2015. Kirkwood's play The Children opened at the Royal Court Theatre in November 2016, directed by James Macdonald and starring Ron Cook , Francesca Annis and Deborah Findlay , receiving positive reviews from critics. The production transferred to the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway in November 2017 (previews), officially on 12 December 2017, with its original cast. The play
806-568: Was created. Within the borough, it divides into four council wards , each with three councillors : Forest ward (Whipps Cross area, parts of Upper Leytonstone as far as Grove Green), Leytonstone ward (the rest of Upper Leytonstone, the town centre, Bushwood and Ferndale areas), Cathall ward and Cann Hall ward (South Leytonstone areas). The area forms part of the Leyton and Wanstead parliamentary constituency. As of July 2024 , Calvin Bailey has held
837-526: Was made between the two companies during the rehearsal period, prompting the tag line "Two casts, two crews, two directors, two venues, one new play... no communication". Kirkwood's third play, Guns or Butter , about soldiers being overcome by the horror of war, was written for the Terror 2007 Festival at the Union Theatre , London. Tinderbox , a dark comedy set in a fictional 21st-century England, premiered at
868-522: Was nominated for the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award as Outstanding New Broadway Play. The play was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Play and the Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play (Deborah Findlay). Rufus Norris directed her stage play Mosquitoes , which illustrates family disputes between sisters by referencing collisions in experimental physics , at London's National Theatre in 2017. Kirkwood received
899-672: Was produced by Clean Break Theatre at the Arcola Theatre . Her short horror piece Psychogeography premiered at the Bush in 2008 and was revived at Southwark Playhouse . In 2010, a fresh and humorous version of Beauty and the Beast was devised by Kirkwood and director Katie Mitchell and written by Kirkwood. It premiered at the National Theatre . in London as Christmas show in December 2010. In October 2012, Kirkwood's play NSFW premiered at
930-507: Was televised on Sky 1. She adapted her play Chimerica into a four-part miniseries for Channel 4 , broadcast in 2019, and then wrote the four-part series Adult Material , following a woman's life in the adult film industry . In June 2018 Kirkwood was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in its "40 Under 40" initiative. Leytonstone Leytonstone ( / ˈ l eɪ t ən s t oʊ n / LAY -tən-stohn )
961-587: Was the first store outside central London with an escalator . In the mid-1990s, the M11 link road ( A12 ) was built through the area, despite a long-running protest by locals and road protestors . This and other protests led to the policy, Roads for Prosperity , being abandoned. From 2001 to 2013, artists ran the 491 Gallery , a squatted social space in a building next the A12, that hosted events from exhibitions to gigs. Historic Areas Leytonstone belonged originally to