Ella Road (née Waldman, born 24 August 1991) is a British screenwriter, playwright and actor.[1] She is best known for her stage-play The Phlebotomist.
Career
editRoad grew up in Archway and attended Dame Alice Owen's School, a state school in Potters Bar.[2][3] She studied English at Somerville College, Oxford, and then earned a postgraduate degree in acting from Oxford School of Drama.[4][5] According to The Daily Telegraph, Road began writing her first play soon after completing her acting training in order to find more creative agency.[6]
Theatre
editIn 2018 Road's debut play The Phlebotomist premiered at Hampstead Theatre, directed by Sam Yates and starring Jade Anouka.[7] The play is work of science-fiction exploring questions around genetic ethics.[8] In 2019 The Phlebotomist received an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.[9][10] Later that year Road adapted it into a radio drama for BBC Radio 3.[11] In 2020 the play was translated into German under the title Die Laborantin, leading to productions across Germany and Austria, and it became the most performed new play in the German language of 2021.[12][13]
In December 2021 Road's play Fair Play premiered at the Bush Theatre, produced in association with Sonia Friedman Productions.[14][15] Fair Play explores the scrutinisation of women's bodies in sport, focusing on the experience of women athletes banned under IOC guidelines for having naturally elevated testosterone levels.[16] In writing the script Road drew on her own experience as a competitive runner, and also developed the play in partnership with Intersex UK.[17][18] The international release of a filmed online stream of the production was announced for 2022.[19]
Television
editRoad wrote two episodes of Ten Percent, the British remake of the French comedy series Call My Agent! on Amazon Prime.[20][21]
Road co-wrote, alongside Chris Chibnall, "Legend of the Sea Devils", the second episode of the 2022 specials for Doctor Who.[22]
In September 2024 it was announced that Road would be working on Season 7 of Black Mirror, for Netflix. [23]
References
edit- ^ Marshall, Jonathan. "BWW Interview: Ella Road Talks SOMETHING WILL DISAPPEAR". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Allfree, Claire (19 March 2019). "Playwright Ella Road on The Phlebotomist and dangers of gene testing". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "FAIR PLAY TO YOU, ELLA ROAD". Owenians. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Literature from Somerville". Somerville College Oxford. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Hiftu Quasem and Ella Road to work on UK remake of Call My Agent!". The Oxford School of Drama. 18 May 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Montgomery, Hugh (8 April 2019). "Is Ella Road the most promising young playwright in Britain?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "The Phlebotomist review – a gasp-worthy dystopian thriller". the Guardian. 27 April 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "REVIEW: The Phlebotomist, Hampstead Theatre Upstairs ✭✭✭✭✭". British Theatre. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Olivier awards: Company and Come from Away lead nominations". the Guardian. 5 March 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Ella Road | The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize". www.blackburnprize.org. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "BBC Radio 3 - Drama on 3, The Phlebotomist". BBC. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Die Deutsche Bühne". Die Deutsche Bühne (in German). Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ value, active. "Die Laborantin". Theaterverlage (in German). Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Fair Play at Bush Theatre brilliantly blasts through the complex politics around women's bodies". inews.co.uk. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Bush Theatre Announces The Online Broadcast of Shahid Iqbal Khan's 10 Nights and Ella Road's Fair Play". Theatre Weekly. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Fair Play review – dynamic two-hander tracks gender and race in sport". the Guardian. 9 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ altafrica10 (27 November 2021). "Bush Theatre: Fair Play Cast Visit Crystal Palace Stadium". Alt A Review. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Fair Play". bushtheatre.co.uk. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "Bush Theatre to release Shahid Iqbal Khan's 10 Nights and Ella Road's Fair Play online". WhatsOnStage. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ Andreeva, Andreas Wiseman,Nellie; Wiseman, Andreas; Andreeva, Nellie (6 May 2021). "'Call My Agent!' UK Remake: Lydia Leonard, Jack Davenport, Jim Broadbent Among Cast; Series Details Revealed Ahead Of Shoot". Deadline. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Call My Agent (UK) (Comedy), BRON Studios, Headline Pictures, retrieved 22 December 2021
- ^ "Doctor Who 2022 Specials: news, writers and directors". CultBox. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "'Black Mirror' Season 7 Confirms Lead Cast: Cristin Milioti, Paul Giammati, Rashida Jones, and more | The Streamr". 19 September 2024. Retrieved 31 October 2024.