Two rising Scottish theatre stars with links to the University of Glasgow have triumphed in the first Assembly Festival theatre awards.

Images of Andy Edwards and Amy GilmartinThe Assembly Festival has just announced the first winner of the brand-new Assembly Roxy Theatre (ART) Award for developing Scottish performance companies at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Andy Edwards is a playwright and performer based in Glasgow and a UofG graduate who makes work about language and mental health. His new play Scribble is an attempt to understand the intersections between mental health, disability and the author’s own ethnicity, gender and class. 

In 2016 Andy was mentored by Playwright’s Studio Scotland to develop a new piece of work, supervised by Rob Drummond. Scribble is the result of that. It was awarded a Small Grant Award from the Tom McGrath Trust and directed by Amy Gilmartin as a rehearsed reading at the Traverse Hothouse showcase in November. Andy’s first play Killing Time was performed at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, receiving four star reviews from FEST, Three Weeks and the Edinburgh Evening News. Since graduating with Distinction in MLitt Playwriting and Dramaturgy at the University of Glasgow, Andy has presented work with galleries, heritage organisations and theatres as a playwright, performer and digital artist.

The other award winner, Amy Gilmartin is a freelance theatre director, who focuses on directing and developing new writing, and Co-Artistic Director of emerging company Urban Fox Theatre. She has directed three productions at the Edinburgh Fringe with Urban Fox Theatre; Globophobia (which was shortlisted for the Scottish Arts Club Award), Safeword and Heartlands (which received six four star reviews). Her freelance directing work includes Warrior, a play exploring modern Sectarian themes, which has extensively toured schools, community centres and theatres, including the Citizens Theatre, since 2014. Amy also assisted Orla O’Loughlin on Milk at the Traverse Theatre in the 2016 Festival, where she is now employed as a script reader and has directed as part of development performances. She is currently the assistant director on Dr Stirlingshire’s Discovery, a co-production with Grid Iron, Lung Ha Theatre Company, RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Amy currently works part time as a Banqueting and Catering Assistant in Hospitality Services for the University of Glasgow while her “biggest fan”, her Mum Jacqueline, works in the University Library.

Andy and Amy will receive up to £5,500 worth of support, including Fringe and Joint Venue Brochure registration fees, rehearsal space, and development and promotional support. Scribble will be presented at Roxy Downstairs as part of Assembly 2017 in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

First published: 27 February 2017

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