ºù«Ӱҵ Made Writers and Directors
The School of English is proud also to have been part of the story of a wide range of award winning writers and directors.
Helen Monks
Helen Monks is a writer and actor, known for her roles in Raised by Wolves and Upstart Crow. Helen discusses the support and opportunities she received as an English and Theatre student.
Lucy Prebble
BA English Literature 2002
Screenwriter and playwright
Lucy Prebble is a successful playwright and screenwriter, best known for writing on Succession, I Hate Suzie, and for creating the television series Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Her theatre work includes ENRON and A Very Expensive Poison. In 2018 Lucy was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Stephen Daldry
BA English Literature 1982, Hon LittD 2001
Director and producer
Stephen Daldry is a BAFTA, Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony and Laurence Olivier award-winning winning theatre and film director and producer. He started his career at ºù«Ӱҵ's Crucible theatre. His work includes the films Billy Elliott, The Hours, The Reader and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and the Netflix series, The Crown.
Jack Rosenthal, CBE (1931-2004)
BA English Literature 1953, Hon LittD 1998
Playwright
Jack was one of the early writers for Coronation Street, writing almost 130 episodes. Following this, Jack branched out into a variety of television dramas including The Dustbinmen and The Lovers, as well as his most successful drama: Bar Mitzvah Boy, for which he won three BAFTA awards.
Peter Cheeseman, CBE (1932-2010)
BA English Literature, History and Latin 1955, Dip Ed 1956
Theatre director
Peter was a celebrated theatre director with a career spanning over 400 productions over 36 years. He was a pioneer of theatre in the round and led the first purpose-built theatre-in-the-round in Europe. In 1998, he was appointed CBE for his services to drama, and in 2009, he received the Young Vic award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to theatre-making in the UK.
Ade Solanke
BA English Literature, 1984
Playwright
Ade Solanke wrote for the student newspaper Darts and believes that her ºù«Ӱҵ experiences laid the foundation for her career in telling stories. Her debut play, Pandora’s Box, sold out in London before touring nationally and was nominated as Best New Play at the Off West End Theatre Awards. Ade has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and held the position of the British Film Institute writer-in-residence.