Lucy Kirkwood

Lucy Kirkwood is a British playwright and screenwriter celebrated for tackling complex social and political issues through sharp, often darkly humorous work. Born in Leytonstone, East London, to a City worker father and a sign language instructor mother, Kirkwood’s early exposure to theatre helped shape her creativity. While studying English at the University of Edinburgh, she wrote her first play, Grady Hot Potato, which was recognised at the National Student Drama Festival and won her the PMA Award for Most Promising Playwright. This led to her securing commissions from the Bush Theatre and National Theatre Studio shortly after graduation.

Kirkwood’s early works, including Tinderbox (2008) and Hedda (2008), established her reputation for blending dark comedy with incisive social critique. In 2009, she collaborated with Clean Break, a theatre company working with ex-offenders, on it felt empty when the heart went at first but it is alright now, a play about human trafficking that earned her the John Whiting Award.

Her breakout came with Chimerica (2013), a play examining US-China relations through the lens of the iconic “Tank Man” image from the Tiananmen Square protests. The play won several prestigious awards, including the Olivier Award for Best New Play. Her other notable works include NSFW (2012), The Children (2016), and the TV series Adult Material (2020), a commentary on the pornography industry.