Phoebe Waller-Bridge gives emerging writers a rent-free London home
Phoebe Waller-Bridge has bought and donated a London flat for Writers’ Block, giving writers from disadvantaged backgrounds somewhere to stay while paying only household bills. The initiative also arranges reduced-rate rooms and has already helped 12 writers, with support from established screenwriters and playwrights seeking to reduce class barriers in theatre.
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A donated flat provides accommodation
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the writer and actor who created Fleabag, has bought a London flat and donated it to a scheme helping writers from disadvantaged backgrounds. The home is being offered rent-free through Writers’ Block, an initiative intended to help emerging playwrights enter the profession.[1], [2]
Residents of the flat will cover household bills rather than pay rent. Waller-Bridge has also contributed money to the initiative, although the amount has not been disclosed. Writers’ Block is directed at class barriers in theatre, helping writers who need to reach London for meetings, rehearsals, performances and other opportunities as their careers begin.[1]
Hosts offer rooms at reduced rates
The accommodation network invites London residents to make spare rooms available at reduced rates. Charges are capped at 30 pounds a night or 500 pounds a month. 15 homes have joined so far and have provided places for 12 writers. Placements range from overnight visits to longer stays, accommodating different reasons for being in the capital.[1]
The initiative grows from a playwright award
Writers’ Block developed from the Adopt a Playwright Award, founded by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read in 2008. Research from the Sutton Trust and the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre found that people from working-class backgrounds represented only 16 per cent of those employed in the creative industries. That research forms part of the reported context for the effort to broaden access to theatre.[1]
Screenwriter Jack Thorne has also given financial support. The co-creator of Adolescence and writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child recalled living with his brother in Croydon for five years when starting out. Other backers include playwright James Graham, whose work includes Ink, Quiz and Dear England, and Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright. The Crown creator Peter Morgan and filmmaker Martin McDonagh, who wrote and directed The Banshees of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, also support the project.[1]
