Phoebe Waller-Bridge has contributed a London property to Writers’ Block, a newly established program designed to address class barriers in theatre by offering housing to early-career writers from disadvantaged backgrounds. Residents will be required to cover only utility bills. The Fleabag creator has additionally provided significant financial support to the initiative.
Screenwriter Jack Thorne, known for co-creating Adolescence and writing Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, is among several prominent figures backing the scheme financially. Thorne highlighted the housing challenge as a critical obstacle to writing careers, noting that accommodation costs often force aspiring writers to abandon their work. Other supporters include playwright and screenwriter James Graham, Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright, The Crown writer Peter Morgan, and Martin McDonagh, Waller-Bridge’s partner and director of films including The Banshees of Inisherin.
Research from the Sutton Trust and the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre revealed that only 16% of creative industry workers come from working-class backgrounds, with class representation gaps more severe in this sector than in any other field. Graham emphasized that despite the industry’s focus on various forms of representation, class disparities remain largely unaddressed, describing it as the most significant area of under-representation being overlooked.
Writers’ Block emerged from the Adopt a Playwright Award, a program established in 2008 offering affordable housing for writers needing London accommodation for professional activities. The current scheme solicits spare rooms from Londoners at capped rates of £30 nightly or £500 monthly. To date, the initiative has secured 15 homes and assisted 12 writers through both short and long-term placements. Organizers note the program may appeal to older residents living alone seeking companionship and supplemental income while avoiding the uncertainties of renting to unknown parties.
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