Kirsty Bushell
As an actress with an almost 30-year career, I’ve had the unique experience of sharing rooms with exceptional writers, directors, and dramaturgs. I’ve witnessed and been part of the telling of an abundance of stories told through a plethora of forms. Directing at drama schools, I was asked to adapt and edit many classics, and I found myself flourishing. At some point, a short film burst out of me, and when I passed it on to some producers, I was delighted to discover they connected with it, could SEE the story, and wanted to make it. During lockdown, Mark Ravenhill offered to mentor folk; I bit his arm off, and a 6-part TV series, Helen, was born. A couple of agents read it, and I was told I could write. West Acre Theatre asked me to adapt and direct The Grim Tales, and an original story from which the tales were told emerged. More TV series took root in my system, but before I could meet them, a climate play emerged. The National Studio provided space for some R&D, so when the HighTide Writers’ group opportunity arose, I had enough of a story to start.