Jennifer Tuckett

Welcome to the website of writer, producer, academic and co-Director of Her Story Productions and the Women in Theatre Lab Jennifer Tuckett

Jennifer Tuckett is the co-Director of Her Story Productions, which has just launched its first project, the Women in Theatre Lab. Her Story Productions is the new company supporting women in theatre, film and television which Jennifer runs with Polly Kemp, the founder of ERA 50: 50, the equal representation for actresses campaign whose supporters include Emma Thompson and Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Jennifer is the former Research and Literary Director of Sphinx Theatre, the UK’s longest established women’s theatre company. In her position at Sphinx, Jennifer recently designed Sphinx 30, a one-off new writing programme for female playwrights for which Jennifer created the one-off Sphinx Lab which was run in partnership with 15 of the UK’s leading theatres to celebrate Sphinx’s 30th anniversary, and wrote three research reports on women in theatre which were published in The Guardian from 2019 – 2022.

Jennifer has also been Director of Art School, co-founder of London Writers’ Week, and an award-winning writer and academic. Jennifer’s work as a writer includes “Kidnapping Cameron” (Birmingham Repertory Theatre), “I am a Superhero” (joint winner of the Old Vic New Voices Theatre 503 Award), “Ways You Can Survive the World (Theatre 503 and the Flea Theatre, New York), “Lucy’s Brief Guide on How to be Human” (Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays), “George Bush Saved My Life Last Night” (Hampstead Theatre/Menagerie Theatre Company), “An Alien’s Guide to the UK Elections (Liverpool Everyman Theatre and Playhouse/Nabokov), pieces for “Wish You Were Here” (Liverpool Everyman Theatre and Playhouse) and “The Best Tour of Love Ever” (Octagon Theatre Bolton).

Jennifer holds an MFA in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama, a BA (Hons) in English from Cambridge University and an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia, where she was awarded the first Distinction in the eight year history of the scriptwriting strand of the course, and recently completed an MPhil in Education from Cambridge University researching how to improve the transition for women from studying the arts to working in the arts.

Jennifer led on the 5 year Women in Theatre research project in partnership with WOW, The Writers Guild of Great Britain, Equity, ERA 50:50, Sphinx, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts, Black Womxn in Theatre, Aurora Metro Books and others.

Reports included:

The Women in Theatre Survey, which can be read in The Guardian here.

The Women in Theatre Forum Report, which can be read in The Guardian here,

The update to Sphinx’s What Share of the Cake reports, which can be read in The Guardian here

Other projects include:

2023 – present: Co-Director, Women in Theatre Lab, the UK version of US and Australian models, alongside Polly Kemp, the co-founder and Director of ERA 50: 50, the equal representation for actresses organisation whose supporters include Emma Thompson and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Partners for the Women in Theatre Lab include the Jermyn Street Theatre, ERA 50:50 and The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain. Supporters include actress Gemma Arterton.

2019 – 2023: Research and Literary Director at Sphinx Theatre, the UK’s longest established women’s theatre company. This included producing three research reports on women in theatre – What Share of the Cake? (2019), the Women in Theatre Forum Report (2020) and the Women in Theatre Survey (2021), each published in The Guardian newspaper, as well as designing and leading Sphinx Lab, a new programme to support professional female playwrights in the UK.

2017 – present: Director of Art School, the new company supporting the education sector and arts industry to work together to improve and protect arts education.

2016 – present: Director of University Women in the Arts, run in partnership with the Women of the Future Programme, Sphinx Theatre Company and others, to address why more women study the arts but less women work in the arts, particularly in artistic and leadership roles.

2013 – 2017: Course Leader for MA Dramatic Writing, Drama Centre London. Graduates include Titilola Dawudu, who Jennifer helped win a Women of the Future Award and who is now Associate Dramaturg at the Bush Theatre, Conor Hunt, whose first year play was produced at Theatre 503 and Edinburgh, Liberty Martin, who was selected for the Red Rock Shadow Scheme and BBC Continuing Drama scheme directly via the course and many other talented writers.

2016 – 2017: co-creator and Director of The Student Guide to Writing: Playwriting with the Bush Theatre and Oberon Books, a competition to provide access to the leading training coming out of the industry playwriting training programmes which had never been published before.

2013 – 2014 Director of The Year of Experimentation, a year long investigation into what dramatic writing training can be in the UK.

Co-producer of Breakdowns, the UK’s first student led digital storytelling experiment run in partnership with the British Library and Conducttr.

2008 – 2013: Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Salford when it was becoming the only university to be based at MediaCityUK, the new home of the BBC in the North of England including:

2012 – 2013 Creator of the UK’s first formally industry partnered MA in Playwriting

Executive Producer, Insecurity pilot project on teaching online drama with BBC Writersroom North.

Director of Flaking Out pilot project on teaching writing for radio drama with BBC Radio Drama North.

Co-organiser of BBC Writersroom MediaCity Masterclasses

2011: Director of Write by the Quays, a project to celebrate the opening of MediaCityUK

Jennifer is an award-winning writer. Her credits include:

Non Fiction

2024: Contributor to Feminist Theatre: Then and Now alongside April de Angelis, Suzie Miller and others. Published by Aurora Metro Publishing, May 2023.

2017 : The Student Guide to Writing: Playwriting, published by Oberon books in May 2017.

Dramatic Writing Masterclasses: Key Advice from the Industry Masters published by Oberon Books in January 2017.

Playwriting

2018 – 2019: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Octagon Theatre Bolton)

2013 : Pages from My Songbook (writer, Royal Exchange Theatre/The Alligator Club)

The Love Inn (writer and curator, The Octagon Theatre Bolton/The Alligator Club)

Peter Pan (co-writer, The Octagon Theatre Bolton)

2012: Kidnapping Cameron (writer, Birmingham Repertory Theatre)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (co-writer, Octagon Theatre Bolton, awarded 4 stars in The Guardian newspaper and the best selling show in the theatre’s 44 year history).

2011: The Best Tour of Love Ever (writer, Octagon Theatre Bolton)

2010: An Alien’s Guide to the UK Elections (writer, Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse Theatre). 

2009:  I am a Superhero (writer, York Theatre Royal)

After The Flood (writer, Old Vic Theatre) 

I am a Superhero (writer, Bristol Riverside Theatre, USA) Featured in a showcase of the leading emerging female playwrights in the US. 

2008: I am a Superhero (joint winner Old Vic New Voices Theatre 503 Award and writer, Theatre 503) I am a Superhero was the joint winner of the Old Vic New Voices Theatre 503 Award and was produced by the Old Vic Theatre and Theatre 503 at Theatre 503.

2007: Ways You Can Survive the World (writer, Theatre 503)

2006: Lucy’s Brief Guide on How to be Human (writer, Old Vic New Voices 24 Hour Plays)

George Bush Saved My Life Last Night (writer, Menagerie Theatre Company and the Hampstead Theatre)

2005: Ways You Can Survive the World (writer, The Flea Theatre, New York) Published by Broadway Play Publishing.

2004: Ron’s Pig Palace on Wheels (Winner, International Playwriting Festival. Writer, the Warehouse Theatre and Extra Candoni Festival, Italy. )

How to Make an English Heroine (Winner, International Student Playscript Competition. Writer, National Student Drama Festival. )

Joy (writer, Royal Court Theatre, invitation group)

2003: Seen in an Outside Place (finalist, Royal Court Theatre’s young writers festival)

2002: The Tragedy of a President (finalist for RSC OTHER Prize)

Film and Television

2023: Executive Producer and writer, TV project (Screen Queensland)

2013: Executive Producer, InSecurity (online drama, BBC Writersroom/University of Salford)

2011: The Real Life Superhero Guidebook (writer, commissioned by Vision and Media, the North West of England’s regional film agency, supported by the UK Film Council. Selected for Drafted feature film development programme)

Finalist for BBC Writersroom 10

2010: I am a Superhero (writer, selected for Poisson Rouge Pictures feature film development programme)

2009: Long-listed for the BBC Writers Academy for continuing drama

2008: Selected for BBC SHARPS television drama workshop