"We want to see work by women on our stages be at least 50% of the work that's presented, and not at a date in the future for programmers to 'work towards' - there's no reason why it can't happen now. Burn Bright intend to continue supporting women identifying writers - in making connections, opportunities and work, and to do it in a way that reflects the true diversity of the country. We have achieved a huge amount on very little and, with the necessary funding, there is a lot more to come." - Sarah Henley, Co-Founder
There is still a lot of work to be done, and we don't plan on stopping any time soon, however we are in need of financial resources to do so. We're pausing our programme of digital panels and events, so that we can plan and fundraise, in order to return bigger and stronger than ever.
This incredible company is reliant on generous donors and individuals; to continue supporting their community of writers, Burn Bright are now looking to match their original funding by raising an additional £15,000.
This is only the beginning for Burn Bright.
"We are so proud of what we’ve achieved and what we’ve been able to give back with the money we initially raised, but in line with the transparency we hold so dear, we are simply out of cash. We pride ourselves on paying our writers and other collaborators for their time and we refuse to stop doing that, so for now, our only option is to press pause. This is by no means a goodbye, it’s a see you later and you can be sure that we will be back soon! There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise, and there are three of us fighting this battle! We can’t wait to continue burning the house down." - Tori Allen-Martin, Co-Founder
If you'd like to support the work of Burn Bright, donate here!
supporters
We are grateful to the brilliant people who have supported us on this journey since day one.
Tara is a producer and general manager with a focus on developing new writing and new writers, having produced the debut full-length plays by writers including Chris Urch, Phoebe Eclair-Powell and Mel Pennant.
Tara, our Producer, launched Burn Bright with us in May 2021 and has been a driving force for us behind-the-scenes across all our programmes, as well as producing our online events.
Victoria is an incredible activist, writer and all round force for good in the industry, annually reporting on theatres' programming of female writers (among other things). Her incredibly brave work speaking out has inspired us to do the same.
Check out her work at victoriasadler.com
Sharon is an Olivier award winning actress who holds an MBE for her services to drama. She kindly lent her phenomenal talent to both of our ‘Tree’ workshops and is an huge champion of new musical theatre.
Morgan is a brilliant playwright with a brilliant mind and is incredibly generous and supportive of emerging artists. She counts among her plays, Emilia, which has (in our opinion) inspired a generation of women to 'burn bright'.
In fact without taking inspiration from this play, Sarah and Tori may have given up for good.
Paul is an inspiring director, writer and well known performer, and as a fellow human who sees no need to be boxed in, he is currently Vice President of Live Action Programming at Nickelodeon in LA.
He directed our 'Tree' workshops and his style lifts everyone's talent - collaborating without ego but with an insane amount of talent, passion and energy.
Caroline is a wonderfully level headed, supportive and smart literary agent, specialising in musical theatre talent. She's extremely experienced and has worked for over 20 years in music publishing at Warner/Chappell Music.
Passionate about new voices, In 2011, with Warner Brown, she helped create and now co-sponsors new musical theatre writing award The S&S Award.
Susie is an incredibly talented director, actor, writer, and a fierce champion of young people and emerging talent. She was the Artistic Director of Hackney Empire and we worked with her there on our show ‘Streets’ as well as the workshop for Tree.
