Duncan is a former Writer-in-Residence at Paines Plough and Manchester Royal Exchange. Plays include the acclaimed adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, co-adapted/ co-directed with Robert Icke (Headlong / Nottingham Playhouse, UK tour, Almeida Theatre and West End); EVERY BRILLIANT THING (Paines Plough / Pentabus); 2071 co-written with Chris Rapley (Royal Court / Hamburg Schauspielhaus); REISE DURCH DIE NACHT adapt. Friederike Mayröcker created with Katie Mitchell and Lyndsey Turner (Schauspielhaus Köln, Theatertreffen, Festival d’Avignon); WUNSCHLOSES UNGLÜCK adapt. Peter Handke (Burgtheater Vienna); THE FORBIDDEN ZONE (Salzburg Festival / Schaubühne Berlin); LUNGS (Studio Theatre Washington DC / Paines Plough & Sheffield Theatres); ATMEN (Schaubühne Berlin); DON JUAN COMES BACK FROM THE WAR adapt. Ödön von Horváth (Finborough Theatre); MONSTER (Royal Exchange / Manchester International Festival).

Duncan was the recipient of two awards in the inaugural Bruntwood Playwriting Competition, 2006. Other awards include Best New Play at the Off West End Awards 2013 for LUNGS; the Big Ambition Award, Old Vic 2009; the Pearson Prize, 2008. His work with director Katie Mitchell has been selected for Theatertreffen and the Avignon Festival.

JONNY DONAHOE

Jonny Donahoe is an actor, comedian and writer, best known as the front man of comedy-band Jonny & the Baptists. As a comedian he has toured across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Credits include: THE NOW SHOW, SKETCHORAMA, THE COMEDY CLUB and INFINITE MONKEY CAGE (Radio 4). TV credits include: FRESH FROM THE FRINGE (BBC TV), THE GADGET SHOW (Channel 5). Theatre credits include: MARCUS BRIGSTOCKE’S EARLY EDITION (Latitude Festival & Edinburgh Festival 2012) and 9 LESSONS & CAROLS FOR GODLESS PEOPLE (Bloomsbury Theatre).

He was a finalist in New Act of the Year, Musical Comedy Awards and BBC New Talent.

For Jonny and the Baptists he was commissioned to write and perform at the National Theatre, (and on a UK tour), as part of Mark Thomas’s 100 ACTS OF MINOR DISSENT. One of the songs written for this was subsequently recorded and released as a UK single, sold out its entire run, and became number one in the iTunes UK comedy charts.

For his role in EVERY BRILLIANT THING he has been nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award and a Drama Desk Award.

GEORGE PERRIN (Direction)

George Perrin is the joint Artistic Director of Paines Plough. He was formerly co-founder and Joint Artistic Director of nabokov and Trainee Associate Director at Paines Plough and Watford Palace Theatre.