Nicola McCartney

Writer

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Film, TV & Theatre

Associate Agent : Olivia Martin

Film, TV & Theatre

Nicola McCartney is a playwright, director and dramaturg. She trained as a director with Citizen Theatre/ G&J Productions and Charabanc Theatre Company Belfast. Nicola was Artistic Director of lookout Theatre Company, Glasgow from 1992-2002, and has twice been an Associate Playwright of Playwrights Studio Scotland. She has worked for a host of organisations as a dramaturg including Vanishing Point and Stellar Quines/ Edinburgh International Festival. Her plays include: EASY, HERITAGE, HOME, STANDING WAVE: DELIA DERBYSHIRE IN THE 60S, RACHEL’S HOUSE, CAVE DWELLERS and LIFEBOAT. She is also a social theatre practitioner and has worked with all sorts of groups including people within the criminal justice system in UK and USA, asylum seekers and refugees, drug users, survivors of domestic violence and childhood abuse.  Nicola has worked with Traverse’s flagship outreach programme, Class Act, since 1997, taking it to Russia, Ukraine and India. In 2018 she was a recipient of a Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Olwen Wymark award for encouraging theatre in the UK. Nicola is currently Reader in Writing for Performance at University of Edinburgh where she leads the Masters programme in Playwriting.

Theatre

ProductionCompanyNotes

WOLF ROAD

Dundee Repertory Company/ Pearlfisher

Current Commission

WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE

Traverse Theatre

Current Commission

HOW NOT TO DROWN

Thick Skin

Current Commission
With Dritan Kastrati

NORTH

National Theatre of Scotland

CRAZY JANE

2015

Birds of Paradise Theatre Company

ROUGH ISLAND

2014

Mull Theatre Company

MELMOTH THE WANDERER (Adapted from the novel by Charles Maturin)

2012

Big Telly Theatre Co, Northern Ireland

1 IN 5

2011

Kabosh, Belfast

MIRACLE

2011

Oran Mor, Glasgow

RESURRECTION (Adapted from novel by Leo Tolstoy)

2008

Oran Mor, Glasgow

STORM BIRDS

2008

Dundee Rep/York Theatre Royal

BOG PEOPLE: Threshold

2007

Big Telly Theatre Co, Northern Ireland

A SHEEP CALLED SKYE (Adapted from novel by SR Harris)

2007

National Theatre of Scotland

Nominated for Best Children's Show, CATS Awards 2008

RE: UNION

2007

7:84 Theatre Co, Scotland

THE LION OF KABUL

2007

Catherine Wheels

BEYOND

2006

EGYTS & Vesilioy Goroshnik (Children's Home), Togliatti Russia/National Theatre of Scotland

STANDING WAVE: DELIA DERBYSHIRE IN THE 60s

2004

Tron Theatre / Reeling & Writhing

Nominated Best New Play, CATS Awards 2005

THE HERO SHOW

2004

East Glasgow Youth Theatre

THE MILLIES

2003

Replay Productions, Belfast. Irish tour with international tour 2006

LIFEBOAT

2002

Catherine Wheels Theatre Co, Edinburgh. National and International Tours 2004-present

Best Children's Play TMA Theatre Awards 2002

CAVE DWELLERS

2002

7:84 Theatre Company, Scotland, Scottish Tour

Published in Staging Intercultural Ireland, 2014, Cork University Press

HERITAGE

2001

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Scottish Tour

Published 2001 by Faber & Faber;
Published 2002 by Hodder & Stoughton Education

UNDERWORLD

2001

Frantic Assembly, London

CONVICTIONS

2000

Tinderbox Theatre Co, Belfast (site specific Crumlin Road Courthouse)

Best New Play Irish Theatre Awards 2000; Published by Tinderbox Publishing

HOME

1999 - 2000

lookOUT Theatre Company

Published by Transverse Publishing

FOR WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE

2000

Brunton Theatre Company

TRANSATLANTIC

1998

lookOUT Theatre Company

THE HANGING TREE

1997

lookOUT Theatre Company

ENTERTAINING ANGELS

1996

lookOUT Theatre Company National Tour

Time Out Critic's Choice Award

EASY

1995

lookOUT Theatre Company, National Tour

LAUNDRY

1994

lookOUT Theatre Company

WONDERLAND

2012

Vanishing Point, Edinburgh International Festival & Naples International Festival

As Dramaturge

SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT FOR NEW WRITERS

2009

National Theatre of Scotland

As Director

DEVISED PIECES

2009

Cumbernauld Theatre

As Dramaturge

THE BEGGAR'S OPERA

2009

Vanishing Point/ Royal Lyceum, Edinburgh

As Dramaturge

SUBWAY

2007

Vanishing Point/ Lyric Hammersmith

As Dramaturge
(Edinburgh Festival Fringe)

BENEATH YOU

2007

Birds of Paradise/Tron Theatre, Glasgow

As Dramaturge
Written by Kathy McKean

YELLOW MOON

2006

TAG, Glasgow

As Dramaturge
Written by David Greig

TERRORISM

2006

RSAMD

As Director.
Written by Presnyakov Brothers

NEW PLAY BY DANIEL DANIS

2005 - 2006

Theatre Cryptic

As Dramaturge & Translator

CALLANISH STONED

2005

Theatre Highland

As Playwrights Studio Scotland Dramaturge
Written by Kevin Macneill

AMID THE CLOUDS

2005

Tron Theatre/ RSAMD

As Director

THREE THOUSAND TROUBLE THREADS

2004 - 2005

Edinburgh International Festival/ Stellar Quines

As Dramaturge
Written by Chiew Sah-Tei

LOST ONES

2004 - 2005

Vanishing Point

As Dramaturge

CAPE MOON

2004

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Japanese/ Scotland International Project

As Director
Written by Matsuda Masataka

1994 - 2002

lookOUT Theatre Company, Glasgow

Artistic Director of lookOUT Theatre Company, Glasgow - A touring company specialising in the development of new Scottish writing, funding by Scottish Arts Council and Glasgow City Council.

TRAINSPOTTING

1995 - 1997

G & J Productions

As Associate Director on West End;
As Director on 1996 UK Tour

1994 - 1995

Charabanc Theatre Company, Belfast

Trainee Director - supported by professional training bursary from ACNI

Radio

ProductionCompanyNotes

SULLUM VOE

2012 - 2013

BBC Radio 4

BEYOND THE THUNDERCLOUD

2007

BBC Radio 4

ROUTE NUMBER 12

2002

BBC Radio 4

Co-written with Cynthia Hamilton

Film

ProductionCompanyNotes

HERITAGE

2018

Brockenspectre Films/Scottish Screen

THE VISION

2002

Ideal World Films/Film 4 Lab

EASY

1998

Freeway Films

LIFER

1996

BBC Films

Television

ProductionCompanyNotes

RIVER CITY

2007 - 2018

BBC Scotland

NO EVIL

2003

SMG TV

Two-part drama

PLAYING THE FIELD

2002

Tiger Aspect/ BBC

CAMPUS

1999

Tiger Aspect/ Channel 4

THE BILL

1995

Thames/ Carlton

Awards:

  • Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Olwen Wymark Theatre Encouragement Award  2018
  • FST Unplugged Award 2010
  • Recipient of a Scottish Arts Council Writers Bursary 2005
  • Recipient of a Scottish Arts Council Creative Scotland Award 2003
  • Best New Play Irish Theatre Awards for CONVICTIONS 2000
  • Best Children’s Play TMA Theatre Awards 2002
  • Time Out Critic’s Choice Award for ENTERTAINING ANGELS

 

Writer-in-Residence posts:

  • Associate Playwright, Playwrights Studio Scotland   2009 - 2011
  • Creative Writing Fellow, University of Edinburgh       2005 - 2008
  • Associate Playwright, Playwrights Studio Scotland   2004 - 2005
  • Writer in Residence, Shetland Arts Trust                     2003 - 2004
  • University of Ulster, Writer-in-Residence                     1999 - 2002
  • University of Bradford mini residency                          2001

 

Leadership and Management Posts:

  • Programme Director MSc Playwriting*
  • English Literature Department Postgraduate teaching committee
  • LLC Postgraduate Teaching committee
  • Chair of Scottish Society of Playwrights
  • Member of Creative Scotland Literature Sector Review 2014
  • Member of Creative Scotland Theatre Sector Review 2013
  • Member of Scottish Executive Sucommittee on Arts and Culture 2013-15
  • Edited Edinburgh Review 137
  • Member of Board of Directors of Vanishing Point Theatre Company
  • Consultant for Voronezh State Academy of the Arts, Russia, 2013*

 

Academic appointments:

2011- Present: Lecturer in  Writing for Performance at the University of Edinburgh, designing and leading new MSc Writing for Theatre and Performance and undergraduate courses

2009 – 2012:   Visiting Professional teacher on MA in Classical and Contemporary Text at Royal Conservatoire Scotland

2005 - 2008:   Creative Writing Fellow: Drama, University of Edinburgh, leading  MSc Creative Writing Drama strand

2003 – 2005:   External examiner, Dept of Theatre Studies, University of Glasgow

2000 - 2008:    Royal Conservatoire Scotland, visiting professional teacher on undergraduate acting programmes, directing undergraduate productions, and leading MA Directing & Acting course option on new writing

1999 - 2000:    Visiting Tutor on M.Lit Creative Writing, Strathclyde University 

1995 – 2000:    Visiting Professional Teacher, University of Glasgow on undergraduate,  Theatre & Society, Playwriting and Directing courses