Abbie Spallen

Writer

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Biography

Abbie Spallen is a multi award winning writer, actor and film producer. Her awards as a writer include the Windham Campbell Prize for Literature, the Stewart Parker major award, The Tony Doyle award, The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Clare McIntyre Bursary from The Royal Court, and the HALMA Foundation award for excellence in the European arts. In 2014 she was awarded the Major Individual Artist Award by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.

Her plays include ABEYANCE (Druid Debut, Druid Theatre Co), PUMPGIRL (Bush/Traverse/Manhattan Theatre Club), which won the 2007 Susan Smith Blackburn Award, the Stewart Parker award and was nominated for the Irish Times Best New Play, STRANDLINE (Fishamble) which was shortlisted for the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and nominated for the Meyer Whitworth Award, and BOGWOG (NPC) O’Neill Centre Connecticut. LALLY THE SCUT was named by Fintan O’Toole (Irish Times) as Irish Play of the Year 2015 and POENA 5X1 premiered in the Underbelly at the Edinburgh Festival 2016, receiving fantastic reviews. Her short plays include THIRTEEN (Women in Power and Politics, Tricycle Theatre), SHAVING THE PICKLE (59E59 NYC) and RUBBERFOOT (Pentabus).

Her work is published by Faber and Faber and has been translated into many languages and produced across Europe and the USA. She has completed one attachment to the Royal National Theatre and two to The Royal Court.  In 2014 she was writer in residence in the Lyric Theatre Belfast.

Her work for radio includes RAPTURE FREQUENCY (The Wire R3) LIVE FROM THE PALACE (R4) and SNAKE OIL (R4). Film and Television includes PUMPGIRL (PG Films/NI Screen) SEACHT (Stirling Productions) and COLLUSION (Sharp Focus for Calipo). Most recently Abbie wrote the short film BEST WISHES for BBC Northern Ireland and the Lyric Belfast which was nominated for an RTS award.

Credits

In Development

Production Company Notes
THE FRONTIERSMEN Mammoth Screen

Original 8 part TV series
SONGS OF LOVE AND WAR Working Title TV

Adaptation of the novel by Santa Montefiore
UNTITLED COMMISSION Boulevard Theatre

Play commission
UNTITLED COMMISSION Lyric Theatre Belfast

Full length musical commission
UNTITLED COMMISSION Abbey Theatre Dublin

Play commission

Theatre

Production Company Notes
THE EMPEROR, WARHOL, AND THE QUEEN
2021 		English Touring Theatre / STORYGLASS

Commissioned piece as part of THAT PODCAST ep 1: SAVE US KEANU
Presented by Sophie Duker
Dir. John R. Wilkinson
BEST WISHES
2020 		Lyric Belfast / BBC NI

Short Film as part of SPLENDID ISOLATION
Dir. Cathy Brady
Royal Television Society RTS Award Nomination
WIPER AT WORK
2020 		Abbey Theatre

Commissioned monologue as part of THE ABBEY FIFTY
Dir. Abbie Spallen
POENA 5X1
2016 		Underbelly (Edinburgh Fringe)
LALLY THE SCUT
2015 		Tinderbox Theatre Company / The Mac

Dir. Michael Duke
*Nominated Writers Guild of Ireland’s ZeBBie Awards 2016
*Chosen by Fintan O’Toole (Irish Times) as Irish Play of the Year 2015
STRANDLINE
2014 		Red Orchid Theatre Company, Chicago

American Premiere
THIRTEEN (Short Play)
2010 		National Theatre Studio/ Tricycle Theatre

Dir. Amy Hodge
BOGWOG
2010 		National Theatre Studio
STRANDLINE
2009 		Fishamble Theatre Company, Dublin

World Premiere
Dir. Jim Culleton
*Nominated for Meyer Whitworth Award – National Theatre Foundation/Playwright’s Studio Scotland (2010)
*Nominated for Susan Smith Blackburn Prize – Best play written by any female in the English speaking world (2010)

BOGWOG
2009 		International Playwright's Convention, USA

World Premiere
Dir. David Esbjornson
RUBBERFOOT (Short Play)
2009 		Pentabus Theatre Company/ Edinburgh Festival

Dir. Orla O’Loughlin
SWING STATE (SKETCHES)
2008 		Tinderbox Theatre, Belfast/ Solas Nua, USA

Dir. Orla O’Loughlin
SHAVING THE PICKLE
2008 		Origin Theatre Company, NYC
PUMPGIRL
2007 		Manhattan Theatre Club, NYC

American Premiere
Dir. Carolyn Cantor
PUMPGIRL
2006 		Bush Theatre/ Traverse

World Premiere
Dir. Mike Bradwell
*Winner Susan Smith Blackburn Prize – Best play written by any female in the English speaking world (2007)
*Winner Stewart Park Trust Major Award (2009)
*Nominated Irish Times Theatre Awards – Best New Play (2009)
ABEYANCE
2005 		Druid Theatre Company

World Premiere
Dir. Kirsten Sheridan

Television

Production Company Notes
ROS NA RUN
2018 – 2019 		TG4

Writers’ Room
SEACHT
2010 		Stirling Productions/ BBC NI

1 x 30′
SEVEN DRUNKEN KNIGHTS
2008 		BBC

TV Feature
*Winner BBC Tony Doyle Award for Best Full Length TV Feature

Film

Production Company Notes
COLLUSION (SHORT)
2013 		Calipo Pictures for Fast Focus

Dir. Tom Hall
THE COURTSHIP GIFT
2010 		Ulysses Productions/ BBC NI

Feature
Adapted from the novel by Julie Parsons
Prod. Aisling Aylward
*Selected for Equinox Film Lab. Germany
PUMPGIRL
2008 		PG Films/ BBC NI/ NI Screen

Feature adaptation
Premiered at Belfast Film Festival
Dir. Carol Moore
*Winner Northern Ireland Screen Award – Low Budget Film Fund Initiative (2008)
SILENT GRACE
2001 		Crimson Films/Follower Films/ Irish Screen

As Co-Producer

Radio

Production Company Notes
SNAKE OIL
2015 		BBC Radio 4

1 x 45′
As part of Afternoon Play series
Dir. Heather Larmour
LIVE FROM THE PALACE
2011 		BBC Radio 4

2 x 15′
Dir. Eoin O’Callaghan
RAPTURE FREQUENCY
2010 		BBC Radio 3

1 x 60′
“The Wire”
Dir. Heather Larmour

Other

Production Company Notes
SHEEP ON FIRE IN PENAL AUSTRALIA
2020 		Guardian Newspaper

Commissioned piece and Excerpt from original play ‘Sheep on Fire in Penal Australia’ as part of FUTURE PLAYS series collated by Tamsin Oglesby.
Editor Chris Weigand
‘Breathtaking’ – Guardian
LALLY THE NYUCK (2012/13) Royal Court Theatre

Workshop/Reading
Dir. Simon Godwin
Abbie Spallen
Abbie Spallen
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