The Genesis Foundation is delighted to announce that highly acclaimed British stage director Joe Hill-Gibbins, has been awarded the £25,000 Genesis Foundation Prize 2025. The prestigious award recognises an exceptional mentor in the arts whose work has profoundly impacted the careers of fellow artists. Hill-Gibbins’ selection highlights his commitment to fostering the next generation of creative talent. 

Joe works nationally and internationally as a theatre and opera director. Between 2007 and 2013 he was a resident director at the Young Vic Theatre, where he became Deputy Artistic Director to David Lan, and the first Genesis Fellow. His recent productions include Ibsen’s Ghosts at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe and Lear at Hannover Staatsoper.   

The Genesis Foundation Prize will support Hill-Gibbins’ ambitious short film, This Is Your Five Minute Call, a 15-minute comedy-drama blending a fictional backstage opera crisis with the personal story of a family member’s mental health crisis.  

This project, already partially funded, will receive a significant boost from the prize money, enabling its completion. The film boasts an impressive cast, featuring Sir Simon Russell Beale, who appeared in Joe’s production of The Tragedy of Richard the Second at the Almeida, and Gemma Arterton. Half of the film was shot backstage this year at English National Opera during the run of Hill-Gibbins’ own production of The Marriage of Figaro. 

Crucially, Hill-Gibbins’ vision extends beyond the film itself. The £25,000 award will also fund a mentorship programme for five emerging artists: Crispin Lord, Jenny Ogilvie, Lucy Wray, Rosanna Vize, and Leo Bill. Crispin Lord is an accomplished director, movement director, and performer with extensive experience in opera and theatre, including assistant director roles with English National Opera; Jenny Ogilvie is a director and movement specialist with extensive experience in opera and theatre internationally, known for her collaborative work in live performance; Lucy Wray is a director and collaborative theatre maker focusing on climate change narratives, and recognised for their award-winning work; Rosanna Vize is an outstanding young stage designer who has worked on numerous high-profile theatre productions; and Leo Bill is an award-winning actor and writer/director known for his work at the National Theatre, Almeida, and Young Vic, and has numerous film and television credits. 

These talented individuals, several of whom worked alongside Hill-Gibbins on his Olivier Award nominated production of Bluebeard’s Castle at ENO in 2024, represent a diverse range of creative disciplines within theatre and film, each bringing their unique expertise to the project. Joe Hill-Gibbins’ programme will foster their professional development and provide invaluable hands-on experience. 

John Studzinski, Founder & Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:  
 
“Joe was our very first Genesis Fellow at the Young Vic Theatre in 2010, and we are delighted now to award him the Genesis Foundation Prize. The Genesis Foundation believes in backing and nurturing talent in the long run, and it is a privilege to support an artist’s work first as an emerging and then as a more established, confident voice. It is important that the five talented individuals Joe has chosen to work with him on his projects will benefit from his mentoring.” 

Joe Hill-Gibbins said: 

“Alongside the Young Vic, no one has done more to support my development as an artist than the Genesis Foundation. The opportunity, made possible by the Genesis Foundation, to integrate the artistic development of other practitioners into my own process of making work has always been precious to me. I’m delighted to be continuing my relationship with Genesis and to be exploring the creative process, across multiple disciplines, alongside Crispin, Jenny, Leo, Lucy and Rosie – four artists I greatly admire. That freelance artists are able to build their own communities to support and inspire each other, and to actively generate their own experimental work is vital for today’s industry”.      

Read more about the Genesis Foundation Prize

Taio Lawson, the Genesis Foundation’s current Genesis Fellow and associate director at the Young Vic, has been appointed artistic director and co-chief executive of the Bush Theatre. 

Taio will join the organisation and oversee the final season of plays programmed by Lynette Linton, who leaves the theatre this month. 

A trustee for Parents & Carers in the Performing Arts, and a theatremaker who has worked at venues including Sheffield Theatres and the Almeida Theatre, Lawson will lead the Bush with executive director and co-chief executive, Mimi Findlay. 

Taio said: “I am honoured to be stepping into the role of artistic director of the Bush, at a time when the need for enduring original narratives is so important. The Bush is unequalled in its championing of new writing and talent development, as well as being a vital hub for the local diverse community. We will stay committed to welcoming everyone, locally and nationally”. 

The Genesis Fellowship was established in 2010 with the appointment of Joe Hill-Gibbins, followed by Carrie Cracknell, Natalie Abrahami, Gbolahan Obisesan, Nadia Latif and Jennifer Tang.  

Since beginning his fellowship in 2023, Taio has mentored two Genesis Future Directors Award recipients: Annie Kershaw (2024) and Andrea Ling (2023).  

On his Genesis Fellowship, Taio said: “I saw my first play at the Young Vic on a school trip in 2000. Being able to make theatre in the same place I fell in love with the art form is a personal full circle moment”. 

Taio’s tenure at the Young Vic will end this May. 

Read more about the Genesis Fellowship 

(c) Andy Paradise

The Genesis Foundation is pleased to announce a new programme of commissions being premiered in both London and Cumnock by The Sixteen this May.

Alongside Harry Christophers, the renowned choir will present two “Voices of Angels” concerts – on 22 May at St James’s Piccadilly in London and on 24 May at St John’s Church in Cumnock, Scotland. The programme is based around three new Genesis Foundation commissions of a specially commissioned cycle of poems by Robert Willis entitled Angels Unawares.

The three new commissions are The Call of Gideon by Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, The Call of Isaiah by Millicent B. James, and The Song of James the Son of Zebede by Lucy Walker.

Book tickets for London

Book tickets for Cumnock

The Almeida Theatre has announced its casting for Genesis Almeida playwright Ava Pickett’s 1536.

Written as part of the Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme and winner of the 2024 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the play will star Liv Hill (Alma Mater), Siena Kelly (Adult Material) and Tanya Reynolds (A Mirror, Sex Education), and is directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica). Further cast announcement is still to be announced.

Ava’s script, which was commended by The George Devine Award for its “sparkling dialogue and savage undercurrent”, is set in the year of Anne Boleyn’s death, and asks whether female solidarity can survive in a world where barbarism and misogyny are state sanctioned.

1536 is the first play commissioned through the Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme, and will make its world premiere at the Almeida Theatre, running from Tuesday 6 May – Saturday 7 June.

Find out how to book tickets for 1536

Read more about the Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme

John Studzinski’s 12-point plan on how to strengthen and expand philanthropy in the UK was published by Bloomberg UK on 25 December.

After 11 years at the helm of the Genesis Foundation’s partner the Almeida Theatre, Rupert Goold will begin a new venture at the Old Vic Theatre.

The Foundation’s Founder and Chairman John Studzinski said:

“Rupert Goold embodies artistic innovative leadership, and represents everything that is both important and essential to the creative industries in the UK. He has been an outstanding Artistic Director at the Almeida which, thanks to his leadership over the past 11 years, is now at the top of its game. The Genesis Almeida Playwrights programme is Rupert’s brainchild and, thanks to him and his team, many talented playwrights have been mentored and encouraged to write ambitious plays tackling big subjects for the main stage. He’s shown them the drive and skillset behind his own bold, stunning style and we have been honoured to work alongside him on this much-needed programme. We wish Rupert and Rebecca the very best as they face new challenges: the Old Vic will be lucky to have such a team at the helm”.

Read more about Rupert’s tenure at the Almeida

(c) Matt Roberts

Bristol Old Vic today announces Winsome Pinnock as the first Legacy Writer as part of its Five-Year Commitment residency programme. 

The first year of the programme was launched with the £25,000 Genesis Foundation Prize awarded to BOV’s Artistic Director Nancy Medina in May this year, and supports three writers at different stages of their careers: one legacy, one mid-career, and an early-career writer. 

The Genesis Foundation Prize recognises an outstanding mentor of artistic talent whose work has effected real change in the practice and careers of arts professionals or graduates. Now in its twelfth year, it is the only prize to acknowledge mentors in the arts and, through its funding, to give winners the means to invest further in their work. 

Nancy Medina said: “It is a deep joy to welcome Winsome as our inaugural Legacy Writer. Winsome is somebody whose work we believe should be firmly enshrined in the canon of British playwriting excellence and we are delighted to be able to say that she has accepted our offer and will be collaborating with us across the next five years. From our first meeting Winsome has brought generosity, warmth and deep thinking around the potential of this long-term support; we can’t wait to see what we create together.”   

John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said: “We were delighted to reward Nancy with the Genesis Foundation Prize in 2024. We first recognised Nancy’s talent as a director in 2017 when she received the Young Vic’s Genesis Future Directors Award: this continued support shows our belief in Nancy’s work and in her value as a mentor to other artists. We were impressed with her ambitious plans for The Five-Year Commitment at Bristol Old Vic and hope this programme will show how vital it is, perhaps now more than ever, for the creative industries to hold space for writers, to nurture them and invest in their long-term literary development. We are delighted that the Genesis Foundation Prize is funding the pilot year of the Five-Year Commitment.” 

The Legacy Writer position of the Five-Year Commitment residency aims to amplify the work of a British writer who is a celebrated, published and produced contemporary modern dramatist and somebody whose influence and talent Bristol Old Vic want to particularly honour in this moment. 

Winsome Pinnock is an award-winning writer for stage, radio, film and television, described as “the godmother of Black British writing” (Guardian, 2003). Her work has been produced on the British stage and internationally since 1985. She was the first black British female writer to have a play produced by the National Theatre. Her phenomenal body of work includes Leave Taking (Bush Theatre, Liverpool Playhouse, National Theatre), Rockets and Blue Lights (National Theatre, Manchester Royal Exchange, BBC Radio 3), Mules (Royal Court Theatre) and more. 

Winsome Pinnock said: “It is an honour to join this groundbreaking initiative at a time when the landscape for new writing is particularly complex. Bristol Old Vic’s commitment to investing in writers over a five-year period is both inspiring and necessary, recognising that the creation of new plays requires time, trust, and nurturance. I look forward to having the space to explore and develop my work within such a supportive community and to contribute to the theatre’s legacy of innovation and storytelling.” 

Winsome joins Bristol Old Vic as the theatre begins the process of finding the early-career and mid-career writers, who will be confirmed by December 2024 ready to begin the residency in January 2025.   

Applications for the two remaining positions are open from 26 September – 25 October.  

Find out more details about how to apply for the early-career and mid-career writer positions 

In collaboration with the Genesis Foundation and Boswell Book Festival, The Cumnock Tryst will host the latest Genesis Conversation exploring the role the arts can play in rural regeneration. 

Founded by composer and longtime Genesis Foundation collaborator Sir James MacMillan CBE, The Cumnock Tryst is an annual music festival which takes place at the beginning of October in Cumnock, Scotland, and draws in crowds from across the country to enjoy a range of classical experiences.  

The Cumnock Hour: Genesis Conversations will mark the festival’s tenth anniversary and will address key issues related to the cultural sector, aiming to raise awareness of the role arts can play in revitalizing rural areas.  

The discussion will be chaired by journalist Iain Macwhirter with the panel comprising James Knox (Chairman, Boswell Book Festival), John McAslan (Architect), Alistair Moffat (Writer and journalist), Andrew O’Hagan (Writer), Thursa Sanderson OBE (Chief Executive, Drake Music Scotland) and Gillian Walker (Composer). 

There are distinct challenges in rural regeneration that differ from urban centres, such as splintered communities, scattered populations, hidden poverty, limited infrastructure, and a lack of cultural confidence. Achieving community pride in the wake of industrial and economic decline, attracting locals to arts events, and integrating schools and education leaders into joint strategies are also significant hurdles which the panel will discuss. 

The Cumnock Hour: Genesis Conversations will take place at the Dumfries Arms Hotel in Cumnock on Friday 4 October at 3pm.  

Tickets are priced. A film of the talk will be available for free online after the event. 

Book tickets 

Read more about Genesis Conversations 

The Young Vic Theatre has announced its casting for Girl in the Machine directed by Annie Kershaw, the 2024 Genesis Future Directors Award recipient. Written by award-winning playwright Stef Smith (The Outrun, Nora: A Doll’s House), it will run in the Young Vic’s Clare Theatre from Wednesday 16 – Saturday 26 October 2024.

Sophie Melville (The Way, Iphigenia in Splott) will play Polly with BAFTA nominated actor Leah Harvey (Foundation, Small Island) as Rowan in this electrifying new production which explores human and technological interaction. 

A story of love in a fast-changing world, Girl in the Machine follows partners Polly and Rowen. When Rowen brings home ‘the Black Box’ which promises to cure depression, Polly becomes more and more distant from Rowen and struggles to resist the draw of eternal bliss that the Black Box offers. 

The Genesis Future Directors Award provides early-career directors with the opportunity to explore and develop their craft by creating their first fully resourced production at the Young Vic, with mentoring and support from the theatre’s core artistic team including Artistic Director Kwame Kwei-Armah and the current Genesis Fellow Taio Lawson.

John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:
“The Genesis Future Directors Award – and our other programmes at the Young Vic these past 20 years – have given young directors a much sought-after opportunity to direct their first play in a fully-resourced production at the Young Vic. These productions are shielded from critical review, enabling them to experiment with form and be as creative as they can be. Annie Kershaw joins a cohort of Genesis directors who have gone on to forge rich achievements in their careers. We look forward to seeing her work and wish her every success.”

Since its inception in 2012, the Genesis Future Directors Award has supported 17 emerging directors and theatre-makers. Among them are Diyan Zora, who directed Mom, How Did You Meet The Beatles? at Chichester Festival in 2023; Debbie Hannan, Associate Director at the National Theatre of Scotland; Nancy Medina, Artistic Director of the Bristol Old Vic; Matthew Xia, Artistic Director and joint CEO of Actors Touring Company; Lekan Lawal, Artistic Director of Eclipse Theatre, and Tinuke Craig, who is directing the revival of A Raisin in the Sun touring the UK this autumn.

Annie Kershaw said: “I am more than excited to be directing Stef Smith’s brilliant play with such a great creative team and cast. This production questions how far our reliance on technology will go. What will be the breaking point? With a host of legendary performances between them, Sophie Melville and Leah Harvey are the perfect pairing to help us deep dive into the personal impact of our changing relationship with technology. Considering current advances in AI, this piece is scarily resonant. I’m looking forward to seeing how audiences react.” 

Leah Harvey has recently filmed a role in Craig Roberts’ next feature, The Scurry, and a lead role in Sweetpea, See-Saw and Sky’s new drama. They were nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2022 BAFTAs for Apple TV+’s Foundation. 

Sophie Melville’s stage credits include Cowbois (RSC & Royal Court), Iphigenia in Splott (Lyric Hammersmith, National Theatre, 59E59 New York, Sherman Theatre) and 2066 (Almeida Theatre). Her television credits include The Way, Casualty, The Left Behind, The Missing (BBC) and Call the Midwife (Neal Street Productions).

The creative team consists of designer Khadija Raza, sound designer Odinn Orn Hilmarsson, lighting designer Lucía Sánchez Roldán, movement director Nevena Stojkov, associate sound designer Neil McKeown with casting by Jacob Sparrow. 

Book tickets for Girl in the Machine

Read more about the Genesis Future Directors Award