Chris Thorpe

Chris Thorpe is an Associate Artist at the Royal Exchange, Manchester – work for them includes There Has Possibly Been An Incident and The Mysteries. Other theatre work includes Victory Condition and The Milk of Human Kindness for the Royal Court, Chorus for the Gate Theatre and Hannah, Beowulf and one of Aesop's Fables for the Unicorn. He also has ongoing collaborations with Rachel Chavkin produced by China Plate (Confirmation/Status), Lucy Ellinson (TORYCORE), Portugal's mala voadora (Overdrama/House-Garden/Dead End/Your Best Guess) and Hannah Jane Walker (The Oh Fuck Moment/I Wish I Was Lonely) Chris was a founder member of Unlimited Theatre, is an Associate of Live Art/Theatre company Third Angel and has worked frequently with Forest Fringe. Chris has also recently collaborated with Rachel Bagshaw, writing the award-winning The Shape of the Pain. He has also worked as a translator, most frequently with Serbian playwright Ugljesa Sajtinac and Belarus Free Theatre. His short film for the Royal Court and the Financial Times about the climate crisis, What Do You Want Me To Say? Was released in September 2019.

Chris's performance work tours internationally, and is also regularly produced for stage and radio throughout Europe and in the US, including the recent premiere of Victory Condition at Residenzteater Munich, and the Italian productions of There Has Possibly Been an Incident and Confirmation, which won the Premio Franco Enriquez 2018. Other awards include Fringe Firsts for Static and Neutrino (both with Unlimited Confirmation, Status, The Oh Fuck Moment, and The Shape of the Pain, selection for Berlin Theatertreffen's Stuckemarkt for There Has Possibly Been an Incident, and the Arches Brick Award for TORYCORE. His work is published by Oberon Books.

Chris was the Arvon Foundation mentor for playwrighting, 2016/17 and tutors courses regularly for them, he also works with the National Student Drama Festival. He has written radio and film, and is currently working on new projects for NT Connections, mala voadora (for the National Theatre, Lisbon), China Plate/Rachel Chavkin, and the Royal Court.