George Devine Award
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| George Devine Award | |
|---|---|
| Type | Theatre Award |
| Awarded for | New writing by a promising playwright |
| Venue | Royal Court Theatre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Reward | £15,000 |
| Established | 1966 |
| First award | 1968 |
| Current winner | Martha Loader, for The Town |
| Website | georgedevineaward |
The George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright was founded in 1966, named in honour of the dramatist George Devine (1910–1966), co-founder and inaugural artistic director of Royal Court Theatre.[1]
The George Devine Award was cofounded in 1966 by Jocelyn Herbert following George Devine's passing on 20 January 1966. Herbert was Devine's long time collaborator and colleague at Royal Court Theatre, as well as his partner since the late 1950s.[2][3] A special performance was held on 13 June 1966 at The Old Vic to raise funds for the award. Its programme pamphlet sets out the fundraising target of £20,000 in order to create an annual award of at least £1,000. At the time, the award was open to "any promising or unproved playwright, director or designer".[4] In addition to the fundraising performance, Herbert also sold Devine's records to University of Leeds's archive to acquire further funding for the award.[5]
Today, the award is granted annually to early-career playwrights, with submissions judged by a panel made up of established playwrights, directors, and actors. As of 2025, winner of the award receives a cash prize of £15,000.[1]
Governance
Record from the Charity Commission for England and Wales showed that the award was officially registered as "George Devine Memorial Fund" in 1970, with a declaration of trust dated 18 August 1969.[6] It was re-registered as "George Devine Memorial Award", a charitable incorporated organisation, in 2023.[7] According to the 1966 fundraising performance pamphlet, the inaugural trustees of the fund were Herbert, alongside Neville Blond and Robin Fox.[4] The award's current trustees include playwright and screenwriter Christopher Hampton and producer Matthew Byam Shaw.[7]
Impact on awardees' career
The award is considered to be prestigious in the British theatre industry.[8][9] Diana Nneka Atuona, who won the award in 2019, credited the award's prestige with helping her attract venues willing to produce her winning play, which was eventually picked up by Donmar Warehouse.[10] Similarly, Elinor Cook said that winning the award in 2013 "made people's ears prick up", helping her land an attachment with the National Theatre as well as a TV writing gig with BBC One.[11]
Many of the award recipients went on to achieve further success in the theatre industry, with some also becoming prominent as writers for films and television. Mike Leigh, the winner in 1973, has since received several accolades in the film industry and was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1993 Birthday Honours.[12] Peter Cox, who won the award in 1984, was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours.[13] Winning the award for Lift Off in 2000, Roy Williams received an OBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours and was elected as fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.[14]
