Phoebe Waller-Bridge donates London flat to Writers’ Block initiative

Phoebe Waller-Bridge has purchased and donated a London flat to provide rent-free housing for early-career playwrights from underprivileged backgrounds, as part of a new theatre initiative called Writers’ Block, The Independent reported.

Addressing Class Barriers in the Capital

The scheme targets an acute under-representation of working-class voices in the creative sector. Research from the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre and the Sutton Trust shows that just 16% of people working in the creative industries come from working-class backgrounds. Writers’ Block aims to mitigate the punishing costs of London accommodation that frequently force developing playwrights to abandon their careers.

Waller-Bridge bought the property specifically for the initiative. Residents will live in the flat rent-free, covering utility bills only. Alongside the property donation, she has provided an unspecified financial contribution to the pilot scheme.

Backing from Leading Playwrights and Screenwriters

Several high-profile industry figures have joined Waller-Bridge in backing Writers’ Block. Jack Thorne, co-creator of the Netflix series Adolescence and writer of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has provided financial backing alongside personal reflections on his own early career.

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.

Additional backers include playwright James Graham, Happy Valley creator Sally Wainwright, The Crown creator Peter Morgan, and Martin McDonagh, writer and director of The Banshees of Inisherin. Graham noted that the industry’s focus on representation frequently overlooks class, recalling his own early struggles sleeping on friends’ floors and working in call centres.

Origins and Evolution of the Adopt a Playwright Scheme

Writers’ Block developed out of the Adopt a Playwright Award, founded in 2008 by Sofie Mason and Diana Jervis-Read, the creators of the Off West End Theatre Awards. The original award offered affordable accommodation to writers needing to travel to London for meetings, rehearsals, and performances. To date, that initiative has supported 55 writers.

The new Writers’ Block project operates in partnership with the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham. It connects playwrights with hosts—known as Omnihosts—who offer spare rooms or properties at heavily reduced rates, capped at £30 a night or £500 a month. Alan Turkington, an actor appearing in the Netflix series Heartstopper, participates as an Omnihost by renting out a room in his Camberwell flat.

During its pilot year, Writers’ Block has signed up 15 homes and placed 12 writers, with stays ranging from single nights to longer-term arrangements. Playwrights utilizing the network report substantial savings, allowing them to attend crucial industry meetings and maintain writing schedules without enduring grueling hours in low-paid survival jobs.

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