Public spaces, public words: contextualising pro-localist, site-local, new writing and its roots in a community’s history, culture and people

This thesis which accompanies the public works is a reflective analysis of my creative practice as a playwright, and argues that the plays submitted form a coherent body of work, demonstrating a consistent and meaningful synthesis of predominant themes and practice. In this statement I contend that the originality of the works lie in the exploration and practical application of a localist-focused arts praxis towards new writing and performance. This approach promotes and actively seeks out the use of unorthodox and/or local performance spaces, employs a ‘mixed economy’ of young and professional performers, dramatizes and celebrates local culture, with the aim of creating a theatre that is rooted in a local neighborhood’s social, economic and cultural fabric.