Fleabag creator, writer and actress Phoebe Waller-Bridge is offering a rent-free flat in London for writers early in their careers. The 41-year-old has bought and donated the flat as part of a new theatre initiative Writers' Block, which aims to address the cost of London accommodation for playwrights from underprivileged backgrounds. She bought the flat specifically for writers who are starting out and are struggling to afford accommodation in the capital, and has donated its use alongside what the scheme called a "generous financial contribution".
Her flat will be provided without rent, with the resident paying bills only. Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne – who wrote the films Wonder and Enola Holmes, as well as the Harry Potter And The Cursed Child stage play – is also providing financial backing to the scheme. "I was lucky when I started out, my brother lived in Croydon and was able to put me up," he said.
"He did so, rather selflessly, for five years, before I moved to Luton and he got his peace. "For many writers, the need for a roof makes writing impossible which is why this pilot is so important. If we want stories told about our complicated world, we need writers of every background writing them.
"If you're from privilege, your biggest problem is what to fill a page with. If you're not, so much of your struggle is about the need to survive." Other backers include playwright and screenwriter James Graham, who wrote stage shows including Ink, Quiz and Dear England, as well as Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright and The Crown's Peter Morgan. Waller-Bridge's partner Martin McDonagh is also involved.
He is best known for writing and directing films including Oscar and Bafta-winning The Banshees Of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Graham said the scheme tackled the class barrier facing writers and helped them avoid "giving up completely". "The industry's urgent pursuit of representation is still letting down the biggest area of under-representation of all, which is class," he said.
"When I first made it to London, I slept on friends' floors and worked in call centres and bars while I wrote. Every spare room a scheme like this can give to writers starting out in London, not only helps them write but saves them from giving up completely." Writers' Block was born from the Adopt a Playwright Award initiative, which was founded in 2008 and offers affordable accommodation to writers from disadvantaged backgrounds who need to be in the capital for meetings, rehearsals, performances and career opportunities. Both schemes were created by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read.
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