Kay Adshead
Writer
Biography
Kay Adshead is a writer, theatre maker, performer, filmmaker, and producer. She trained at RADA as an actress, winning the Emile Littler Award for Outstanding Talent. Leading roles in TV, film, and theatre include Cathy in the BBC classic serial Wuthering Heights, Linda in Mike Leigh’s Kiss of Death, Sue McKenna in Film on Four’s Acceptable Levels, Tanzi in Trafford Tanzi at the Mermaid, (learning to wrestle for the role.) She sung the role of Clara Twain in Adrian Mitchel’s White Suit Blues and played Betty in Stephen Lowe’s Touched, both productions at the Old Vic. She played Moll Gromer in Philip Martin’s Thee and Me at the RNT.
She has written over 25 plays, and has been published by Methuen, Faber and Faber, and Oberon, with commissions or productions at the Royal National Theatre, the Royal Court, the Young Vic, The Lyric Hammersmith( main House) The Cockpit, the Bush, the Arcola, Soho Theatre, and many more. Awards include Fringe First, Adelaide Fringe Sensation Award, Adelaide Best Fringe Performance Award, M.E.N. best Fringe Performance, Scene Savers Best Play 2023 for The Last little Girl, and she won a Houston Purposeful Artist Award for the same play. She has been a Susan Smith Blackburn finalist three times for Thatcher’s Women, The Bogus Woman, and Bites. She was nominated for an E.M.M.A and Encore Magazine best Play of the Year, for Animal. Alex Sierz of The Tribune describes her as” the great survivor”, and The Times reviewed her play I am Sad you are dead Mrs. T for Theatre503 as “a poetic mortar bomb.”
In 1999, with Lucinda Gane, she co-founded multi-award-winning theatre company Mama Quilla. She has devised and directed more than 10 large-cast experimental and live art, site-specific projects, often working within hard-to-reach communities creating empowering performance within vulnerable and disadvantaged communities.
Her experimental film bricolage Stormy – The Opera was a finalist in the 57 year old WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, an award winner in WRPN Women’s International Film Festival ,and won the Kudos Award 2023 in the Depth of Field International Film Festival. PANGOLIA, a film made from The Pangolin Project produced at the Alexandra Palace in 2022, won Best Experimental in the Miami Indie Film Awards and Madrid Art House Film Festival, Both films have been Official Selections over 15 times at international film festivals. She is currently editing a short film, Sea Glass, and has completed filming The Silent Lyre shot in Berlin.
Her short screenplay Teratoma is in development and so is a new full length play “ As yet untitled”
Credits
In Development
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
DEMOCRACY VERSUS DONALD J TRUMP 2025 |
Stingaree |
An online short film project , reflecting/ exploring/ life in the Us under the Trump regime. |
|
SCENES OF 15 ACTORS IN A TIME OF WAR 2025 |
Mama Quilla Productions |
Written by Kay Adshead – a large cast play exploring the months before the next Nucleur war. |
|
TERATOMA 2025 |
Mama Quilla Productions |
Short screenplay |
|
SEA GLASS 2025 |
Mama Quilla Productions |
Made as a 4 minute film for the Pangolin project , in development as a 15 minute short film . |
|
UNTITLED 2025 |
New full length play |
|
|
THE CAROLEANS 2025 |
A Kay Adshead/Mama Quilla Production | |
|
PRELUDE 2025 |
STINGAREE PRODUCTIONS |
Short film in post-production |
|
THE DRIFLIN 2025 |
STINGAREE PRODUCTIONS |
Short film (writer/ director) |
Theatre
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
CROSSING NO MAN'S LAND 2025 |
Mama Quilla Productions / Alexandra Palace / Camden Peoples Theatre |
Devised and directed by Kay Adshead and Company, out of WOMEN AND WAR workshop programme supported by the Alexandra Palace |
|
THE WOMEN WHO - AN EVENING OF NEW WORK BY WOMEN 2023 |
Alexandra Palace |
Devised and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
STORMY THE OPERA (a bricolage) 2020 |
STINGAREE |
Created as an online production https://youtu.be/QwcZGMCA9TE live-streamed on Youtube on October 3 2020. Funded by Houston Arts alliance. |
|
STORMY THE OPERA 2019 |
STINGAREE PRODUCTIONS |
Performed at MATCH Houston Texas November 2019. Written and directed by Kay Adshead. |
|
THE QUEER STATE 2019 |
Alexandra Palace, Mama Quilla |
Experimental performance inspired by LGBTQIA experience, |
|
HARINGEY HAS PRIDE: SECTION 28 AND THE QUEER STATE 2019 |
Jackson’s Lane / Harringay Council / Alexandra Palace |
Promenade performance at Alexandra Palace as part of Jacksons Lane ‘Haringey Has Pride’ |
|
THE LAST LITTLE GIRL 2019 |
Houston Play on Purpose / MATCH Houston |
written and directed by Kay Adshead as part of Houston Play on Purpose’s Showcase of Shorts (S.O.S) |
|
TEN LOVERS 2018 |
Anything Goes |
written and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
HISTRIONICS 2018 |
Mama Quilla productions |
written and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
VIRILICUS 2018 |
Mama Quilla / Theatre Absolute, Coventry | |
|
A CRACKED PLASTER 2017 |
FUTURES |
Written and Directed by Kay Adshead |
|
WORKING CLASS 2017 |
Mama Quilla / Broadway Theatre |
A Play in a Day workshop, as director |
|
ACTS OF DEFIANCE - THE FESTIVAL 2016 |
Mama Quilla and Theatre 503 |
A weeklong festival produced by Kay Adshead comprising – six new plays by various authors, inc. Entering Incomplete Map Data Area , written and directed by Kay Adshead, 25 specially commissioned short films, including The Count , written and dir. Kay Adshead, and two work-in-progress community projects, including The Soldiers Son , written and directed by Kay Adshead. |
|
ACTS OF DEFIANCE 2016 |
Mama Quilla & the Omnibus |
Three Plays written by Kay Adshead: |
|
ACTS OF DEFIANCE 2015 |
Mama Quilla and Theatre 503 |
Three short plays written and directed by Kay Adshead including Primrose , The Singing Stones , Mama Quilla , written and directed by Kay Adshead, performed at the Arcola Theatre with a cast of nine women and one man. |
|
VEIL 2014 – 2015 |
Mama Quilla |
A theatre poem by Kay Adshead, directed by Kully Thiarai and performed |
|
HAPPY ENDING 2013 |
Natural Shocks/PEEP |
Performed at Edinburgh’s most intimate venue |
|
I AM SAD YOU ARE DEAD MRS T 2013 |
Theatre 503 |
Three Eulogies written for THATCHERWRITE |
|
F.O.M.O 2013 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre Barking |
An interactive performance about social networking written and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
ACTS OF DEFIANCE 2013 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre Barking |
A series of short films, public interactions or interventions (ongoing to be published on line September 2013) devised , written or produced by Kay Adshead. Ten monologues filmed separately were performed as an epic poetry theatre event at the Broadway Barking for one night only. |
|
MATTER 2012 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre Barking |
Written and directed by Kay Adshead performed as work in progress |
|
FROM THE STREETS OF REVOLUTION 2012 |
Roundhouse |
A day of debate and performance – a series of linked events exploring recent global events and the nature of protest. |
|
BREAKING 2011 |
John Lyons Theatre |
Work in progress transferring to Camden Fringe. |
|
IF ANYONE RECOGNISES THESE YOUNG PEOPLE 2011 |
Mama Quilla |
Performed in workshop at the Broadway Theatre Barking to be performed at The Round House in 2012. |
|
THE LAST LITTLE GIRL 2011 |
La Compagnie Yorick/Theatre Vitry at Cine Robespierre |
Dir. Michael Batz |
|
BOYS TALKING 2010 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre, Barking |
Devised and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
SWEET PAPAYA GOLD 2010 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre, Barking |
Devised and directed by Kay Adshead. |
|
PROTOZOA 2010 |
The Red Room/Jellyfish Theatre |
The Oikos Project was shortlisted for the Whats On Theatre event of the year. PROTOZOA was performed at The Jellyfish Theatre, the first fully recyclable theatre in Europe. Published by Oberon Books in THE OIKOS PROJECT. |
|
THREE POLICE STATEMENTS TAKEN FROM WORKING GIRLS 2010 |
Mama Quilla with The English Collective of Prostitues and The City Lit | |
|
POSSESSED 2009 |
Soho Theatre Company |
Part of Everything Must Go |
|
FIVE CRIMES RECONSTRUCTED 2009 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre, Barking |
Devised and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
STUFFED 2008 |
Mama Quilla/Broadway Theatre, Barking |
Devised and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
OTHERS 2008 |
LAMDA |
Part of LAMDA Long Project. |
|
BONES 2007 |
Calypso, Dublin/La Compagnie Yorick | |
|
BONES 2006 |
Mama Quilla/Leicester Haymarket/Bush |
Writer and Director |
|
THE BOGUS WOMAN 2005 |
Leicester Haymarket |
Dir. Kully Thiarai. Toured to Adelaide where it was awarded Best Performer, Best Play and the Sensation Award at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Also Brits Off Brodway (New York). |
|
BITES 2005 |
Mama Quilla/Bush Theatre |
Writer and Director. Finalist for Susan Smith Blackburn Award. |
|
ANIMAL 2003 |
The Red Room |
Dir. Lisa Goldman. Soho Theatre/National Tour. |
|
METAL AND FEATHERS 2003 |
Cockpit Theatre |
Part of ‘Small Objects of Desire’ |
|
THE SNOW EGG 2001 |
Tiebreak Theatre/Lyric Studio |
Tour, ending at Lyric Theatre Studio, Hammersmith. |
|
LADY CHILL, LADY WAD, LADY LURVE, LADY GOD 2001 |
National Theatre |
Shell Connections |
|
THE BOGUS WOMAN 2000 |
Mama Quilla/Traverse Theatre/Bush Theatre |
Dir. Lisa Goldman. 2000 Fringe First Award. Nominated for 2001 Susan Smith Blackburn Award. |
|
BOGUS PEOPLE'S POEM 2000 |
The Red Room/BAC | |
|
JUICY BITS 1998 |
Lyric, Hammersmith | |
|
BACILLUS 1996 |
The Red Room |
Performed at the Red Room following rehearsed readings at the Cockpit and Hampstead theatres |
|
THE SLUG SABBATICAL 1995 |
The Red Room | |
|
RAVINGS: DREAMINGS 1993 |
Manchester Library | |
|
THE STILL BORN 1993 |
Soho Theatre | |
|
THATCHER'S WOMEN 1987 |
Paines Plough/Tricycle Theatre |
Nominated for Susan Smith Blackburn Award |
|
FEARS AND MISERIES OF THE THIRD TERM 1987 |
Film
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
PANGOLIA 2022 |
Mama Quilla and the Alexandra Palace |
A film created from The Pangolin Project by Kay Adshead and Dana Alexandra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88SpUPwixW8&t=25s |
|
STORMY - THE OPERA 2022 |
Stingaree |
Written and Directed by Kay Adshead (funded by Houston Arts Alliance ) |
|
THE SILENT LYRE 2024 – 2025 |
Stingaree and The MQBerlinFilmInitiative |
Devised, Written and directed by Kay Adshead and Lise and Leon Ackerman |
Short Films
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| THE COUNT |
Written and directed by Kay Adshead |
|
| THE LAST LITTLE GIRL |
Written by Kay Adshead, dir. by Quason Matthews |
|
| THREE LOTUS FLOWERS | SheSpeaks Productions |
Adapted from theatre poem written by Kay Adshead, directed by Eugenia Low |
| AFTER THE PARTY | Club X/Channel 4 | |
| ORANGES AND LEMONS | BBC City Shorts |
Radio
| Production | Company | Notes |
|---|---|---|
|
HANGING 2002 |
BBC Radio 4 |
Produced by Catherine Bailey |
| OF THE END | BBC Radio 3 |
Homage to Samuel Beckett. Writer and Performer. |
|
THE BOGUS WOMAN 2001 |
BBC Radio 3 |
Produced by Catherine Bailey |
