Last night the Traverse Theatre played host to the awarding of the prestigious James Tait Black drama prize that was presented by the Scotsman’s theatre critic, Joyce McMillan. The drama prize was launched in 2012 by the University of Edinburgh in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland and in association with the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
This year’s winner of the £10,000 prize was British playwright Rory Mullarkey for Cannibals, a play dealing with the consequences of war and the nature of love that charts the story of a young farmer’s wife forced to flee her home during a conflict. Cannibals is Mullarkey’s first full-length play and the second work to win the drama category for Britain’s oldest literary awards.
The other two plays on the shortlist also deal with global issues and their effect on the individual. Some Other Mother by A J Taudevin explores the emotional wounds caused by immigration and George Brant’s Grounded looks at the ramifications of drone warfare.
The winning drama is set in a remote region of Eastern Europe. It centres on the story of Lizaveta, who is forced to leave her home when her husband is killed by a soldier fighting in an indeterminate war. On the run, she meets a variety of characters and ultimately becomes a victim of human trafficking, taken to England as a paid-for bride. The National Theatre of Scotland produced readings from extracts of all three shortlisted plays for the event read by Kiké Brimah, Andy Clark, Callum Cuthbertson, Lesley Hart and Adura Odashile.
The drama prize was judged by students and academics from the University of Edinburgh, as well as representatives from the National Theatre of Scotland and Traverse Theatre. The criteria used for the winning entry is to demonstrate an original theatrical voice that makes a significant contribution to the art form.
The drama accolade complements existing James Tait Black Prizes for fiction and non-fiction that will be announced at a ceremony at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on 23 August.