Stewart Parker Trust
In the days after the death of Stewart Parker in November 1988, friends wanted to do something practical to pay him tribute. As Stewart initially had found great difficulty in gaining financial support or access to theatre managements and productions of his work, it was decided to set up a Trust to encourage and assist Irish writers at this vulnerable early stage of trying to establish a playwriting career. Stewart’s solicitor friend Brian Garrett drew up the official document establishing the Stewart Parker Trust and the friends who became Trustees were Lesley Bruce, Alexandra Cann, Robert Cooper, John Fairleigh, Brian Friel, Seamus Heaney, Jennifer Johnston, Frank McGuinness, Lynne Parker and Stephen Rea. (Robert Cooper resigned as a Trustee in 1998. Seamus Heaney died in 2013, his friendship with Stewart and significant contribution to the work of the Trust will be documented on the website shortly).
Because of the many needs of the beginning playwright and the impossibility of a small organisation addressing them all, an early decision was to define as the prime target of the Trust the playwrights who had their first play produced professionally in Ireland during the previous year. The Trust would then concentrate its efforts on helping this group financially and with other relevant support through the next twelve months as they worked towards the acceptance and production of a second play. Thereafter, in so far as our own financial and personal resources would allow, the Trust would of course continue to support individual playwrights after this initial year and to lobby generally on the continuing needs of all emerging playwrights for financial support and access to theatres.
Early activities
A succession of fund-raising events, together with individual donations quickly established a working reserve, and a beginning was made on distributing grants to individual playwrights. Then early in 1989 BBC Northern Ireland executive Virginia Hardy secured a commitment for the BBC to fund an annual BBC Stewart Parker Radio Drama Award. This was to offer an emerging Irish playwright a cash prize and the opportunity to submit a new script for consideration for a BBC commission. The first recipient of this Award was Sebastian Barry.
Subsequently, two other annual awards were established. The two Arts Councils, North and South, jointly funded a Major Bursary. The initial amount was £7,500 and the intention was that this might allow the writer – at early 1990s values - to break free from other employment for up to a year to focus on creative work. And, more recently, the BBC has offered the Irish Language Award which again offers a cash sum and an invitation to submit an idea for commission.
Another early initiative was to give emerging writers an opportunity to consult with an experienced director/literary adviser while working on their second play. The Tyrone Guthrie Centre and the two Arts Councils offered enthusiastic backing for this idea and the first group of writers assembled at Annaghmakerrig for a week in February 1993 with Max Stafford Clark, then Literary Manager of the Royal Court Theatre and one of the foremost champions of new writing for the English-speaking theatre.
More recent and current activities
The three awards are still offered annually at a ceremony which alternates between North and South – the now established pattern is to alternate between the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In recent years responsibility for the organisation and funding of the award ceremony has been undertaken most generously by BBC Northern Ireland.
In recent years the Irish Theatre Institute has assisted the Trust in identifying from their database the debut plays eligible for the BBC awards and the Major Bursary. The decisions on the recipients of the two BBC awards are made by the BBC, but after consultation with the Trust. Regarding the Major Bursary, ITI also facilitate the convening of a panel to make a short-listing of plays to submit to the Trustees. Currently the Trustees who make this decision on the Major Bursary are Lesley Bruce, Marina Carr, Jennifer Johnston, John Fairleigh, Lynne Parker, Stephen Rea, Frances Tomelty and Enda Walsh.
Stewart Parker Trustees: Lesley Bruce, Marina Carr, John Fairleigh (Chair), Brian Friel, Jennifer Johnston, Frank McGuinness, Lynne Parker, Stephen Rea.
Stewart Parker Trust Advisory Committee: Imelda Foley, Deirdre Kinahan, Patrick Leech, Jimmy McAleavy, Willie White (Chair), Caroline Williams, Stephen Wright.
Stewart Parker Trust, Honorary Director: Caroline Williams
Because of the many needs of the beginning playwright and the impossibility of a small organisation addressing them all, an early decision was to define as the prime target of the Trust the playwrights who had their first play produced professionally in Ireland during the previous year. The Trust would then concentrate its efforts on helping this group financially and with other relevant support through the next twelve months as they worked towards the acceptance and production of a second play. Thereafter, in so far as our own financial and personal resources would allow, the Trust would of course continue to support individual playwrights after this initial year and to lobby generally on the continuing needs of all emerging playwrights for financial support and access to theatres.
Early activities
A succession of fund-raising events, together with individual donations quickly established a working reserve, and a beginning was made on distributing grants to individual playwrights. Then early in 1989 BBC Northern Ireland executive Virginia Hardy secured a commitment for the BBC to fund an annual BBC Stewart Parker Radio Drama Award. This was to offer an emerging Irish playwright a cash prize and the opportunity to submit a new script for consideration for a BBC commission. The first recipient of this Award was Sebastian Barry.
Subsequently, two other annual awards were established. The two Arts Councils, North and South, jointly funded a Major Bursary. The initial amount was £7,500 and the intention was that this might allow the writer – at early 1990s values - to break free from other employment for up to a year to focus on creative work. And, more recently, the BBC has offered the Irish Language Award which again offers a cash sum and an invitation to submit an idea for commission.
Another early initiative was to give emerging writers an opportunity to consult with an experienced director/literary adviser while working on their second play. The Tyrone Guthrie Centre and the two Arts Councils offered enthusiastic backing for this idea and the first group of writers assembled at Annaghmakerrig for a week in February 1993 with Max Stafford Clark, then Literary Manager of the Royal Court Theatre and one of the foremost champions of new writing for the English-speaking theatre.
More recent and current activities
The three awards are still offered annually at a ceremony which alternates between North and South – the now established pattern is to alternate between the Lyric Theatre in Belfast and the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. In recent years responsibility for the organisation and funding of the award ceremony has been undertaken most generously by BBC Northern Ireland.
In recent years the Irish Theatre Institute has assisted the Trust in identifying from their database the debut plays eligible for the BBC awards and the Major Bursary. The decisions on the recipients of the two BBC awards are made by the BBC, but after consultation with the Trust. Regarding the Major Bursary, ITI also facilitate the convening of a panel to make a short-listing of plays to submit to the Trustees. Currently the Trustees who make this decision on the Major Bursary are Lesley Bruce, Marina Carr, Jennifer Johnston, John Fairleigh, Lynne Parker, Stephen Rea, Frances Tomelty and Enda Walsh.
Stewart Parker Trustees: Lesley Bruce, Marina Carr, John Fairleigh (Chair), Brian Friel, Jennifer Johnston, Frank McGuinness, Lynne Parker, Stephen Rea.
Stewart Parker Trust Advisory Committee: Imelda Foley, Deirdre Kinahan, Patrick Leech, Jimmy McAleavy, Willie White (Chair), Caroline Williams, Stephen Wright.
Stewart Parker Trust, Honorary Director: Caroline Williams
Trustees Marina Carr, Lynn Parker, John Fairleigh & Jennifer Johnston.
