Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the creator, writer and actress behind Fleabag, has purchased a flat in London and donated it for use rent-free by writers early in their careers. The 41-year-old made the move as part of the new theatre initiative Writers’ Block, which aims to tackle the cost of London accommodation for playwrights from underprivileged backgrounds.
The flat was bought specifically for early-career writers and is being provided without rent, with the resident paying bills only. The scheme also described Waller-Bridge’s involvement as including a “generous financial contribution”.
Backing from leading writers
Jack Thorne, co-creator of Adolescence and writer of films including Wonder and Enola Holmes as well as the stage play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, 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 did so, rather selflessly, for five years, before I moved to Luton and he got his peace,” Thorne said.
“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.”
He added: “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.”
Addressing the class barrier
Other backers include playwright and screenwriter James Graham, known for stage shows including Ink, Quiz and Dear England, alongside Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright and The Crown’s Peter Morgan. Waller-Bridge’s partner Martin McDonagh, best known for writing and directing films including Oscar and Bafta-winning The Banshees Of Inisherin and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is also involved.
Graham said the scheme tackles the class barrier facing writers and helps 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 friend’s 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. We don’t need grand gestures, just someone to open a door and help us keep going.”
Supporting writers from underprivileged backgrounds
Writers’ Block was born from the Adopt a Playwright Award initiative, founded in 2008, which 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, who started The Offies, the Off West End Theatre Awards.
Citing research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and the Sutton Trust, they said it was found that just 16% of people working in the creative industries come from working-class backgrounds. To date, 55 writers have been supported by the Adopt A Playwright scheme.
Writers’ Block is a partnership with Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, which connects playwrights with hosts who have a spare room or property and are willing to offer it at dramatically reduced rates. Irish actor Alan Turkington, best known for appearing in the Netflix series Heartstopper, has been part of the scheme, offering a room in his flat in Camberwell up for rent.
“I’m so happy that I became an early adopter of this scheme and I’m even happier to champion it. I was very lucky to afford a flat in the late 90s and have tried to pay some of that privilege forward, especially now when rents are abhorrently high,” Turkington said.
He added: “I have rented out my spare room for years, largely to creatives, and have come to realise that writers in particular have such a strong work ethic, with a huge respect for both their space, mine and our shared home. To me, being an Omnihost is the most decent and worthwhile way to rent out a room if you have one.”
