Frances Poet
Writer
Agent
Assistant
Biography
Frances Poet is a Glasgow based writer. Her most recent play SMALL ACTS OF LOVE, which was commissioned by Citizens Theatre, has been nominated as finalist for The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2025/26. She is currently working on a number of stage plays including STRIKIN` LASSIES for NTS and MOTHER for Birds of Paradise Theatre Company. Frances has written on series one and series two of Black Camel Media’s drama ANNIKA, which stars Nicola Walker. She also adapted her stage play ADAM into a Scottish BAFTA winning screen version, which aired on the BBC. She is now adapting her play FRUITCAKE for screen with Solus Productions. Frances has written the third series of Radio 4 drama THIS THING OF DARKNESS and is now writing the fourth series.
Other stage plays include MAGGIE MAY (Leeds Playhouse 2022, finalist of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2020/2021), STILL (Traverse Theatre 2021), FIBRES (Citizens Theatre/Stella Quines Production, Scottish Tour 2019), GUT (Writers Guild Best Play Award winner, UK Theatre Best Play Award nominated and Bruntwood Prize For Playwriting Shortlisted, Traverse Theatre & Tron Theatre 2018 and in a French translation as MADRA, Théâtre La Licorne, Montréal 2019) and the multi-award winning ADAM (Scottish and UK tours 2017/18 and NYU Skirball Centre 2019).
Frances has also completed a number of classic adaptations including THE MACBETHS (Citizens Theatre/Scottish Tour 2017/18), WHAT PUT THE BLOOD (Abbey Theatre, Dublin 2017 and previously as ANDROMAQUE Scottish Tour 2015), DANCE OF DEATH (Citizens Theatre 2016) and THE MISANTHROPE (Oran Mòr 2014). Her play CRUSADERS is part of NT Connections 2020.
Radio work includes ALT DELETE (BBC Radio 3 October 2019), GUT (BBC Radio 4 October 2019) and THE DISAPPOINTED (BBC Radio Scotland 2015).
Screen work includes several episodes of River City and several short films that have played at National and International festivals.
Credits
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FRUITCAKE | Solus Productions |
Pitch doc commission to adapt her play for TV. |
|
THIS THING OF DARKNESS 2025 |
BBC Radio 4 |
Writer, Series 4 |
| MOTHER | Birds of Paradise Theatre Company |
Play commission |
| STRIKIN' LASSIES | NTS |
Jukebox musical commission. |
| WHITE EYES |
Feature film |
Television
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
ANNIKA 2022 |
Black Camel Media / Alibi |
Writer, one episode, series 2. |
|
ADAM 2021 |
BBC Scotland / Hopscotch Films |
Single film based on Frances’ NTS play broadcasted on BBC Scotland and iPlayer. |
|
ANNIKA 2021 |
Black Camel Media / Alibi |
Writer, one episode. |
|
RIVER CITY 2017 – 2019 |
BBC Scotland |
Series 21 Episode 14 (2019); Series 20 Episode 16 (2018); Series 20 Episode 4 (with Ciara Conway, 2018); Series 18, Episode 2 (2017); Series 24 Episode 44 (2020). |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SMALL ACTS OF LOVE | Citizens Theatre |
Original musical commission – musician Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue writing the music, Frances the book. |
| SENSE AND SENSIBILITY | Pitlochry Festival Theatre | |
|
THERE IS NO ROOM IN OUR BATHROOM FOR LEWIS CAPALDI 2024 |
PACE Theatre | |
|
THE PROGNOSTICATIONS OF MIKEY NOYCE 2023 |
GLASGOW LUNCHTIME THEATRE |
Produced at Oran Mor in Glasgow and The Lemon Tree, Aberdeen in 2022. It was also produced at Les Prémonitions De Mikaël Morneau in Montreal 2023. |
| MAGGIE MAY | Leeds Playhouse |
Finalist of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize (2020/2021) |
| STILL | Traverse Theatre |
Part of Traverse Festival 2021. |
|
SOPHIA 2021 |
Pitlochry Festival Theatre | |
|
FIBRES 2019 |
Stella Quines / Citizens Theatre |
Part of “Citizens Women” Season Autumn 2019 |
|
GUT 2018 |
Traverse Theatre / Tron Theatre |
Writers’ Guild Best New Play Award (2019) |
|
ADAM 2017 – 2019 |
NTS Scottish tour (2017), Brighton Festival and Battersea Arts Centre (2018), Skirball, New York (2019). Conceived for the stage and directed by Cora Bisset. |
|
|
SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DAMES 2018 |
Perth Theatre | |
|
CRUSADERS 2020 |
National Theatre |
NT Connections Play for 2020 |
|
THE SCOTTIES 2018 |
Theatre Gu Leòr |
Scottish and Irish tour (2018). A multi-lingual play co-written with Muireann Kelly. |
|
THE MACBETHS 2017 – 2018 |
Circle Studio / Citizen’s Theatre |
On tour 2018 Shakespeare’s play faithfully told through its married protagonists. Adapted with director, Dominic Hill. |
|
WHAT PUT THE BLOOD 2017 |
Abbey Theatre Dublin |
A free adaptation of Racine’s original, directed by Graham McLaren |
|
DANCE OF DEATH 2016 |
Citizen’s Theatre |
A bold reworking of Strindberg’s original, conceived and directed by Candice Edmunds. |
|
THE MISANTHROPE 2014 |
Oran Mor |
After Moliere. Presented as part of the Classic Cut season, directed by Danielle McIlven. |
|
FAITH FALL 2012 |
Oran Mor / The Tobacco Factory |
Presented as part of the A Play, A Pie, A Pint season, directed by Graham McLaren. |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GHOST LIGHT | NTS |
Extract of ADAM to be recorded and included in a new film by Hope Dickson Leach |
Short Films
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
PAPERGEE AND THE SPIDER 2019 |
Visible Fictions |
Short animated film for young people directed by Dougie Irvine. Premiered at Manchester Animation Festival in November 2019. |
|
AND REPEAT… 2019 |
Aesthetica Festival November 2019 |
|
|
SPORES 2016 |
Scottish Film Talent Network |
Edinburgh Film Festival, 2016, Bogoshorts, Bogotá, Columbia, 2017 and WOF Festival, 2017. |
|
THE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO US 2014 |
Glasgow Short Film Festival CCA, 2014. Shortlisted for the Innis and Gunn and The Skinny Short Film Competition 2014. |
Online
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCENES FOR SURVIVAL - A MUG'S GAME | NTS |
Digital short artwork performed by Jonathan Watson and directed by Louise Shephard. Produced in association with the Citizens Theatre and Stellar Quines. |
Radio
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
THIS THING OF DARKNESS 2024 |
BBC Radio 4 |
Writer, series 3. |
|
GUT 2019 |
Afternoon play commission of stage play due to be aired in Autumn 2019 |
|
|
ALT DELETE 2019 |
Radio 3 |
30 minute play commission to be recorded live at Summerhall 2019 |
|
THE DISAPPOINTED 2015 |
BBC Radio Scotland |
30 minute drama |
