Jennifer Tuckett

Welcome to the website of writer, producer and academic Jennifer Tuckett

Jennifer Tuckett is the Literary Director of Sphinx Theatre, the UK’s longest established women’s theatre company, Director of Art School, co-founder of London Writers’ Week, and an award-winning writer and academic. In her position at Sphinx, Jennifer has recently designed Sphinx 30, a pilot new writing programme for female playwrights run in partnership with 15 of the UK’s leading theatres. In her position at Art School, Jennifer runs University Women in the Arts  and The Student Guide to Writing series, amongst other projects. Jennifer has also recently been running the world’s first major mixed methods research project into how to improve the transition for women from studying the arts to working in the arts at the University of Cambridge and recently conducted a major year long research project into Women in Theatre with Sphinx Theatre.  Jennifer’s work as a writer includes “Kidnapping Cameron” (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), “I am a Superhero” (joint winner of the Old Vic New Voices Theatre 503 Award), “Ways You Can Survive the World (Theatre 503 and the Flea Theatre, New York), “Lucy’s Brief Guide on How to be Human” (Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays), “George Bush Saved My Life Last Night” (Hampstead Theatre/Menagerie Theatre Company), “An Alien’s Guide to the UK Elections (Liverpool Everyman Theatre and Playhouse/Nabokov), pieces for “Wish You Were Here” (Liverpool Everyman Theatre and Playhouse) and “The Best Tour of Love Ever” (Octagon Theatre Bolton). Jennifer holds an MFA in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama, a BA (Hons) in English from Cambridge University and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded the first Distinction in the eight year history of the scriptwriting strand of the course.

Jennifer is currently the Director of Art School, the new company supporting the arts industry and education sector to work together to improve and protect arts education, as well as being Literary Director at Sphinx Theatre, the UK’s longest established women’s theatre company.

A brief summary of Jennifer’s work in education is below:

2019 – present: Research and Literary Director at Sphinx Theatre, the UK’s longest established women’s theatre company. This has included producing three research reports on women in theatre – What Share of the Cake? (2019), the Women in Theatre Forum Report (2020) and the Women in Theatre Survey (2021), each published in The Guardian newspaper, as well as designing and leading Sphinx Lab, a new programme to support professional female playwrights in the UK.

2017 – present: Director of Art School, the new company supporting the education sector and arts industry to work together to improve and protect arts education.

2016 – present: Director of University Women in the Arts , run in partnership with the Women of the Future Programme, Sphinx Theatre Company and others, to address why more women study the arts but less women work in the arts, particularly in artistic and leadership roles.

2013 – 2017: Course Leader for MA Dramatic Writing, Drama Centre London and Central Saint Martins. Graduates include Titilola Dawudu, who Jennifer helped win a Women of the Future Award, Conor Hunt, whose first year play was produced at Theatre 503 and Edinburgh, Liberty Martin, who was selected for the Red Rock Shadow Scheme and BBC Continuing Drama scheme directly via the course and many other talented writers.

2016 – 2017: co-creator and Director of The Student Guide to Writing: Playwriting with the Bush Theatre and Oberon Books, a competition to provide access to the leading training coming out of the industry playwriting training programmes which had never been published before.

2013 – 2014 Director of The Year of Experimentation, a year long investigation into what dramatic writing training can be in the UK.

Co-producer of Breakdowns, the UK’s first student led digital storytelling experiment run in partnership with the British Library, Central Saint Martins and Conducttr.

2012 – 2013 Creator of the UK’s first formally industry partnered MA in Playwriting with the Royal Exchange Theatre, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.

Executive Producer, Insecurity pilot project on teaching online drama with BBC Writersroom North.

Director of Flaking Out pilot project on teaching writing for radio drama with BBC Radio Drama North.

Co-organiser of BBC Writersroom MediaCity Masterclasses

2011: Director of Write by the Quays, a project to celebrate the opening of MediaCityUK

Jennifer is an award-winning writer for theatre, film, television, radio, digital media, fiction and poetry. Her credits include:

Non Fiction

2017 : The Student Guide to Writing: Playwriting, published by Oberon books in May 2017.

Dramatic Writing Masterclasses: Key Advice from the Industry Masters published by Oberon Books in January 2017.

Playwriting

2018 – 2019: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Octagon Theatre Bolton)

2013 : Pages from My Songbook (writer, Royal Exchange Theatre/The Alligator Club)

The Love Inn (writer and curator, The Octagon Theatre Bolton/The Alligator Club)

Peter Pan (co-writer, The Octagon Theatre Bolton)

2012: Kidnapping Cameron (writer, Birmingham Repertory Theatre)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (writer, Octagon Theatre Bolton, awarded 4 stars in The Guardian newspaper and the best selling show in the theatre’s 44 year history).

2011: The Best Tour of Love Ever (writer, Octagon Theatre Bolton)

Selected for residency on commercial theatre at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre.

2010: An Alien’s Guide to the UK Elections (writer, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre). Co-produced by Nabokov, responding to events surrounding the UK Elections.

Selected for Incubate residency at the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse on devised and site-specific theatre.

2009:  I am a Superhero (writer, York Theatre Royal)

Awarded Arts Council Grants for the Arts funding to develop I am a Superhero with York Theatre Royal’s youth theatre and Young Actors Company

After The Flood (writer, Old Vic Theatre) Written for Education Symposium for schools and universities at the Old Vic Theatre.

I am a Superhero (writer, Bristol Riverside Theatre, USA) Featured in showcasing of leading emerging female playwrights in the US. Followed by discussion on young people dealing with grief with US child counsellors.

2008: I am a Superhero (writer, Theatre 503)

I am a Superhero was the joint winner of the Old Vic New Voices Theatre 503 Award and was produced by Old Vic New Voices and Theatre 503 at Theatre 503

2007: Ways You Can Survive the World (writer, Theatre 503). Part of Theatre 503’s first Fearless Festival.

2006: Lucy’s Brief Guide on How to be Human (writer, Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays)

George Bush Saved My Life Last Night (writer, Menagerie Theatre Company and the Hampstead Theatre)

2005: Ways You Can Survive the World (writer, The Flea Theatre, New York) Published by Broadway Play Publishing.

2004: Ron’s Pig Palace on Wheels (writer, the Warehouse Theatre and Extra Candoni Festival, Italy. Winner, International Playwriting Festival.)

How to Make an English Heroine (writer, National Student Drama Festival. Winner, International Student Playscript Competition)

Joy (writer, Royal Court Theatre, invitation group)

2003: Seen in an Outside Place (writer, Royal Court Theatre, young writers programme)

2002: The Tragedy of a President (writer, finalist for RSC OTHER Prize)

Film and Television

2013: Executive Producer, InSecurity (online drama, BBC Writersroom/University of Salford)

2011: The Real Life Superhero Guidebook (writer, commissioned by Vision and Media, the North West of England’s regional film agency, supported by the UK Film Council. Selected for Drafted feature film development programme)

Finalist for BBC Writersroom 10 and invited to a workshop for the finalists

2010: I am a Superhero (writer, selected for Poisson Rouge Pictures feature film development programme)

2009: Long-listed for the BBC Writers Academy for continuing drama

Invited to BBC Writersroom Writers Toolbox workshop and networking event

2008: Selected for BBC SHARPS television drama workshop