Vivienne Franzmann

Vivienne Franzman (born 1971) is a British playwright from Walthamstow, whose first play, Mogadishu, was critically acclaimed on its première at the Royal Exchange, Manchester[1] and on its transference to the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith[2] in 2011. Dominic Cavendish of The Telegraph called it "the play of the year".[3] The play based on her own experiences[4] as a school teacher starred Julia Ford as a teacher victimised by a student's lies after she tries to protect him. Her latest play, "Pests," opens in March in The Royal Exchange, London.

The play “Pests” is the story of two sisters. The two young siblings are heroin addicts, have literacy issues, have been sexually abused as children, have been in prison, had abortions and suffer from mental illness. The lives of these two main characters revolves around violence, unemployment and poverty. Clean Break (theatre company), which works with women ex-convicts or those at risk of breaking the law, commissioned the play.[5]

Awards

Franzman won George Devine award for new writing in 2011 for Mogadishu.[6]

References

1. Mogadishu at the Royal Exchange http://www.royalexchange.org.uk/event.aspx?id=335
2. Mogadishu at the Lyric http://www.lyric.co.uk/production-archive/entry/mogadishu/ Archived 2011-06-06 at the Wayback Machine
3. The Telegraph https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/theatre-reviews/8301960/Mogadishu-Manchester-Royal-Exchange-review.html
4. Franzmann interview http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23860314-teacher-turns-playwright-to-tell-everyday-story-of-false-racism-claim.do
5. Gentleman, Amelia. "Vivienne Franzmann's Pests: 'It is brutal. But it is authentic'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
6. Lawson, Mark. "Students can read Mogadishu without copying its storyline". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 March 2014.