Anita Sullivan

award-winning playwright

anita@anitasullivan.co.uk
Anita Sullivan Playwright portrait
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Faustus Helen of Troy
Just Whores cast
 
Monumental Lily Brik
Chariot of Light

Click on a play for a summary, script sample and pictures

Spine Short story for Radio 4's Dangerous Visions season. Mother and son on the brink of escape from an oppressive regime. June 2016
Ring Adaptation of Koji Suzuki's cult horror novel. Fright Night. Radio 4. Halloween 2015.
Gull Therapy Radio 4 Afternoon Drama about living with aphasia and seagulls. With Susan Lynch, Carl Prekopp and Owen Roe. Music by Eleanor Gamper. Broadcast July 12th 2015.
Mercury 13 Radio 4 Afternoon Drama about 13 women who passed NASA's physical tests for astronauts in 1961. Broadcast November 2014
The Bee Maker Radio 4 Afternoon Play for the Dangerous Visions season 2014, broadcast in June 2014. A drama about humans, bees and colony collapse. Shortlisted for Writers' Guild Award.
Infinite Possibilities and Unlikely Probabilities Three Radio 4 short stories about string theory, uncertainty, coincidence, parallel universes, pedometres, love... and Scrabble. Broadcast April 2014
The Octopus Radio 4 Afternoon Play about animal consciousness with an octopus as a lead character. Broadcast October 2013. Play of the Week. Nominated for Audio Drama Award.
An Angel at My Table

Radio 4 Classic Serial adaptation of Janet Frame's three-volume autobiography. Broadcast January 2013. Winner Radio Drama Award, Best Series 2014

The Last Breath Radio 4 Afternoon Play. Documentatry drama about the ultimate concept art. Collaboration with artist Ben Fearnside. Broadcast 6th July 2012.
The Hedge Radio 4 Afternoon Play. BBC Wales. An architect and his wife retreat from the world behind an unnatural hedge. With Fiona Shaw, Peter Ellis, Dorien Thomas & Tanya Franks. Broadcast 27th April 2012.
A Time to Dance Radio 4 Afternoon Play. Sweet Talk improvised project was created by Julian Simpson and Karen Rose, based on an storyline by me. Broadcast October 2011.
Rock of Eye Radio 4 Afternoon Play. BBC Wales production. Three tailors sign an unorthodox contract with a dangerous customer. With Malcolm Storry. Broadcast July 20th 2011.
Countrysides Radio 4 Afternoon Play. Sweet Talk community-involvement production about the Hunting Act. With Russell Tovey and Tim McInnerny. Broadcast 27th April 2011.
Titanium Radio 4. Afternoon Play. BBC Wales production. Broadcast April 12th 2011 for the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space-flight in Vostok. Nominated for a Writers' Guild Award.
Drive In Deco Site specific event in Plymouth, with Part Exchange. Drive-In audio-visual drama with the building as the star. March 2011. BBC preview.
Selfless Radio 4 Afternoon Play. BBC Wales production. What happens if you can't remember you're a bad person? Broadcast December 8th 2010.
The Great Swim BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play. Sweet Talk production about Channel swimmer Gertrude Ederle, adapted from Gavin Mortimer's book. Broadcast Sept 2010
The Companion BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Reading, part of Asimov 'Why Robot' series. Sweet Talk production. Broadcast May 18th 2010.
The Beacon Adaptation of Susan Hill's novel about a misery memoir. BBC Wales production. Five part Woman's Hour series, March 2010. With Kirsty Wark.
Torchwood: Asylum Radio 4 Afternoon Play. BBC Wales Production. Starred John Barrowman. Radio prequal to TV series. Broadcast 2nd July 2009. BBC audio CD.
Homesick Radio 4 Afternoon Play. Sweet Talk production. A Worcester satellite-dish installer finds intelligent life in his ear. With Maxine Peake and Mark Heap. Broadcast March 11th 2009.
Mandrake BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play. A social-worker supports a woman who claims to have planted a 100 year old tree... could her story be true? Sweet Talk production. Broadcast October 2008.
We Need to Talk About Kevin Adaptation of Lionel Shriver's novel about a high-school shooting. With Madeline Potter. Sweet Talk production. Ten part Woman's Hour Series, January 2008.
The Phantom Cosmonaut BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Reading, part of 'Sputnik' series. The cosmonaut who never made it home. Sweet Talk production. Broadcast October 2007.
Envy BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play. Sweet Talk production. A stolen handbag becomes a stolen life. Broadcast March 2007.
Consuming Desires BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour play about a carnivorous beach hut. With Frances Barber. Sweet Talk production. Broadcast May 2006.
Pricked Stage version of Full Blown. Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2005, Assembly Rooms. Tour of South-West 2006 including Drum Theatre Plymouth.
Exiled from Paradise Radio 4 Afternoon Play about the people of Diego Garcia. BBC London production. Winner of RIMA award. Broadcast June 2005.
Thin Walls One-act stage-play for two actresses about inspired by 'The Yellow Wallpaper'. Staged April 2005.
The Owl Service Adaptation of Alan Garner's classic '60's supernatural novel for stage. (Co-written with David Prescott). July 2004 Drum Theatre, Plymouth.
Full Blown BBC Radio 4 Friday Play for World AIDS Day. Sweet Talk production. Starred Claire Skinner. Shortlisted for Imision Award. November 2003.
Chariot of Light Large-scale site specific promenade community show on a steam train. The Working Party, Bo'ness.
Freakshow Devised show with the New Venture Theatre, Brighton involving music and puppetry.
Monumental Political love-story. A lost teenager meets Russian poet Mayakovsky. Staged in promenade at the Citizen's Theatre by Grid Iron.
Dangerous Curiosities Adaptation of three ghost-stories by M.R. James for stage. Tour with Eastern Angles directed by Ben Harrison.
Solstice Poetic drama about Eve and Judas. RSC commission.
Clearance Also called 'Audience with Queen'. Political fairy-tale set in Scottish Borders. Four theatre productions, including Grid Iron at the Traverse.
Last Supper of Doctor Faustus Raunchy cabaret interpretation of Marlowe's story. Edinburgh Festival Scotsman Fringe First winner.
Just Whores Documentary drama about the sex industry. Shortlisted for Questors Theatre award. Three productions across the UK.

BBC copyright policy has changed and I can no longer put clips of my work on the site.

All the graphics you see are hand-drawn by me.

Octopus tentacle
Drive In Deco_Mr Smith
Titanium Play Gherman Titov
Gull yelling
Selfless play foetus

CURRENT PROJECTS

Latest news...

Commission confirmed to adapt Koji Suzuki's cult horror nove 'Ring' for Radio 4's 'Fright Night' Halloween 2015.

I'm in the research phase of a site-specific/ virtual production called 'Future Tourist' with Part Exchange in Bristol.

'Gull Therapy' has been recorded. I've been working with composer Eleanor Gamper and Sweet Talk productions.

In January I was shortlisted for a Writers Guild Award, for The Bee Maker. I was also 'longlisted' for a Radio Drama Award for The Octopus.

My afternoon drama 'Mercury 13' was broadcast on November 26th. It's the story of thirteen women who passed the NASA astronaut selection tests in 1961.

'An Angel at My Table' won the BBC Radio Drama Award 2014 for Best Series.

In 2014 The Hedge, Rock of Eye, Torchwood: Asylum, The Beacon and Titanium were all repeated.

Owl Service actor portrait
Pricked actor portrait
Deigo Garcian family
Thin Walls actor portrait

THE PLAYS AND THE PLAYWRIGHT

Writer of audio drama, site-specific theatre and interactive learning.

My work is very varied but typically has a sociopolitical awareness and explores the connection between the past and the present. I have a keen interest in community based projects. I often write for or about young people.

All of my 40+ plays have been staged/ broadcast, many with revised productions and tours. Several have won awards. I've had over 20 hours of drama broadcast on BBC Radio 4 (not including repeats!) I've been commissioned by theatre companies as diverse as the Royal Shakespeare Company, Plymouth Theatre Royal, Pop-Up children's theatre, Grid Iron and Part Exchange site-specific companies, Eastern Angles and Borderline regional touring theatres.

I've taken part in workshop projects with the Performing Arts Lab, The Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, TAG theatre company, Channel Four Film Challenge, Linea Trasversale, Welfare State International and The Working Party. I also ran my own company Radge Productions which produced three plays, two short films and co-ran a Fringe venue.

I've written five shows for Play In A Week at the Nomad's theatre, an annual event bringing together around sixty young performers with disabilities. The company rehearses and stages a 60 minute play in just six days.

I live in Sussex with husband Ben, an Irish Jack Russell and a delinquent Chihuahua.

Anita Sullivan portrait as man

 Anita Sullivan as goth
Anita Sullivan as granny
Anita Sullivan as vamp

LINKS RELEVANT TO THIS SITE

NEW-WRITING THEATRE ENGLAND

THEATRE IN SCOTLAND

BRIGHTON THEATRE AND RADIO

SITE-SPECIFIC THEATRE COMPANIES

UK RADIO & THEATRE NETWORKS, LISTINGS AND WRITER SUPPORT

Envy handbag
Envy Sweet Talk recording
Freakshow actor portrait
Full Blown HIV virus

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