Chris Urch

Chris Urch
Born1986 or 1987 (age 38–39)[1]
Midsomer Norton, Somerset
OccupationPlaywright
Alma materDrama Centre London
SubjectLGBTQ rights
Notable awardsBruntwood Prize for Playwriting (2013)
The Offies for Best New Play (2017)
Iris Prize for Best British Short Film (2025)

Chris Urch is an English playwright whose works are known for exploring themes of social justice and LGBTQ rights. His works have been staged in the West End, in touring productions across the UK, as well as internationally in Australia and the US.

Early life

Urch grew up in Midsomer Norton in Somerset.[2] In his childhood, he participated in his local theatre group, Merriman Theatre Company.[3] He went on to train at the Drama Centre as an actor, before turning to writing plays.[2]

Career

Stage works

Urch had had no formal training in playwriting before pursuing this path. However, he has credited his training as an actor for helping him write characters and dialogues.[4] His career in playwriting was kickstarted at Theatre503, where he was selected for the 503Five residency scheme for young writers.[5] His debut play, Vote of No Confidence, was later staged at the same theatre in 2013 as part of its LabFest, produced by Without a Paddle Theatre Company.[6] The production was selected by Howard Brenton as part of The Playwright Presents scheme - where an established author helps launch the career of an emerging playwright.[5] Praising Urch, Brenton has compared the young playwright to Tennessee Williams.[7][8]

Land of Our Fathers

Urch’s first full-length play Land of Our Fathers, set in a Welsh coalmine on the eve of the 1979 general election, received wide critical acclaim when it opened at Theatre503 in 2013.[9] The play then transferred to Trafalgar Theatre in the West End in 2014,[10] followed by a Wales tour in 2015, and an England tour in 2016.[11]

The Rolling Stone

Urch's next major play, The Rolling Stone, deals with the topic of violent homophobia in Uganda.[12] It received its premiere at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester in 2015[13], followed by performances at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds (2015)[14] and the Orange Tree Theatre in London (2016).[15] The play won a Judges' award at the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting in 2013,[16] the Manchester Theatre Award for Best New Play in 2016,[17] and Best New Play at the Off West End Awards (a.k.a. The Offies) 2017.[18]

Internationally, The Rolling Stone was staged in Sydney at the Seymour Centre in 2018[19] and in New York at the off-broadway Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2019.[12]

Screenwriting and directing

In 2016, Urch was announced as the writer of an untitled biopic about Alexander McQueen, with Andrew Haigh also attached to the project as director.[20] To date, the film has yet to be released.

In 2023, Chris Urch was awarded a grant from the British Film Institute's Short Film Fund for a short film entitled Blackout, which he would also direct in addition to writing.[21] The film, which explores the theme of domestic violence, starred Mawaan Rizwan and was released in 2024. Blackout won the 2025 Iris Prize in the Best British Short Film category, winning Urch £40,000 to create a new LGBTQ-themed film.[22]

Personal life

Urch is openly gay.[1]

Filmography

Key
† Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released

Films

Year Title Director Writer Notes Refs
2024 Blackout Yes Yes Short film [23]
Unreleased Untitled Alexander McQueen biopic † No Yes [20]

Stage

Year premiered Title Notable productions Notes
2013 Vote of No Confidence 2013 - Theatre503 (Part of LabFest)[24] Championed by Howard Brenton as part of The Playwright Presents scheme.[7]
2013 Land of Our Fathers 2013 - Theatre503[9]
2014 - Trafalgar Theatre[10]
2015 - Wales tour[11]
2016 - England tour[11] 		Co-produced by Wales Millennium Centre.[11]
2015 The Rolling Stone 2015 - Royal Exchange, Manchester (premier),[13] West Yorkshire Playhouse[14]
2016 - Orange Tree Theatre, London[15]
2018 - Seymour Centre, Sydney[19]
2019 - Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater, New York[12]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Notes
2013 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting The Rolling Stone Judges' Award Prize value: £8,000 [16]
2016 Manchester Theatre Awards Best New Play The Rolling Stone Won [17]
2017 The Offies Best New Play The Rolling Stone Won [18]
Best Production The Rolling Stone production at Orange Tree Theatre (2016) Won

References

  1. ^ a b Raymond, Gerard (2019-07-15). "Playwright Chris Urch Interview for The Rolling Stone at Lincoln Center Theater Off-Broadway NYC | TDF Stages | TDF - Theatre Development Fund". www.tdf.org. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  2. ^ a b Theater, Lincoln Center. "Chris Urch On Why He Wrote THE ROLLING STONE | Lincoln Center Theater". Lincoln Center Theater. Archived from the original on 2025-02-08. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  3. ^ "New short film release celebrating Midsomer Norton's unsung heroes -". yourmidsomernorton.co.uk. 2022-05-27. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  4. ^ "INTERVIEW: Chris Urch, Playwright - Newsplate". www.britishtheatre.com. 2013-09-18. Archived from the original on 2025-03-18. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  5. ^ a b "Battersea Theatre Announces full cast for Land of Our Fathers". Your Local Guardian. 2013-08-13. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  6. ^ "Vote of No Confidence". Without A Paddle Theatre. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  7. ^ a b Peterson, Tyler (2013-07-05). "Chris Urch's LAND OF OUR FATHERS to Debut at Theatre503, 17 Sept. - 12 Oct". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  8. ^ "10 Questions with Howard Brenton". Hampstead Theatre. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  9. ^ a b "Land of Our Fathers – review". The Guardian. 2013-09-23. Archived from the original on 2022-07-03.
  10. ^ a b Gardner, Lyn (2014-09-09). "Land of Our Fathers review – underground drama digs deep into the human spirit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  11. ^ a b c d "Land of Our Fathers". Wales Millennium Centre. Archived from the original on 2016-04-15. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  12. ^ a b c Ben Brantley (2019-07-15). "Review: Piety Laced With Poison in the Uganda of 'The Rolling Stone'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  13. ^ a b Hickling, Alfred (2015-04-29). "The Rolling Stone review – a crusading attack on Uganda's anti-gay law". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  14. ^ a b "Review: Anna Karenina, Courtyard Theatre, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds; The Rolling Stone, also West Yorkshire Playhouse". York Press. 2015-05-23. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  15. ^ a b Trueman, Matt (2016-01-19). "London Theater Review: 'The Rolling Stone'". Variety. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  16. ^ a b "2013". Bruntwood Prize. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  17. ^ a b Walters, Sarah (2016-03-05). "Bolton Octagon Theatre the big winner's at 2016 Manchester Theatre Awards". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  18. ^ a b "Winners of the Offies announced". WhatsOnStage. 2017-02-26. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  19. ^ a b Malone, Ursula (2018-06-28). "Sydney play about gay hate examines a global problem". ABC News. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  20. ^ a b Alexander, Ella (2016-01-22). "Alexander McQueen the film is coming". Glamour UK. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  21. ^ "Short Film Fund: Projects selected in 2023". BFI. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  22. ^ Sugg, Aaron (2025-10-20). "Chris Urch's Blackout starring Mawaan Rizwan is crowned Best British Short at Iris Prize". Attitude. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  23. ^ "British Council UK Films Database: Blackout". British Council. Retrieved 2026-02-27.
  24. ^ "VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE » Without a Paddle Theatre". withoutapaddletheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-06-22. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
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