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Popping back on here with a brief recap of the year.

Life continues to get in the way of writing somewhat, but I was pleased to complete two new projects this year, of which I hope to share news in 2023.

Sadly, Covid again restricted my theatre visits but I was very glad to catch David Eldridge’s Middle at the National Theatre, a deeply poignant two-hander about the choices we face at the middle of life’s journey.

Of the new(ish) books I read this year, I relished Alejandro Zambra’s magnificent Chilean Poet (translated by Megan McDowell), full of invention and insight, and Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy, a bleak exposure of the wreckage of war.

And of the slightly older books I caught up on, I loved Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie’s extraordinary Half of a Yellow Sun. I’ve also been enjoying Elizabeth Strout’s touching and beautifully observed Amgash novels.

Finally, the Jericho Prize for new Black-British children’s authors is running again. The deadline for picture book submissions is 9 January 2023. I’m delighted still to be involved with this important competition providing comprehensive, lasting support for Black-British writers.

Wishing you all the best for 2023. Let’s make it a good one.

To start the new year with a look at the old, here are some of my theatre highlights of 2015. 

Robert Icke’s adaptation of the Oresteia at the Almeida was my standout show of a fine year. The archetypal drama of a family at war with itself became a uniquely contemporary piece of theatre, quite unlike anything else I’ve seen.

In particular I was astounded by how Icke presented the sacrifice of Iphigenia as a tangibly motivated event rather than just one of those crazy things the Greeks do in those ancient myths. Thus the outrageous, blood-soaked tragedy was firmly grounded in reality. 

Also dealing with unhappy families, Gary Owen’s Violence and Son at the Royal Court was both funny and genuinely moving, carried along by a captivating central performance from David Moorst.

I scored a ringside seat for Bull at the Young Vic, Mike Bartlett’s brutal, immersive depiction of workplace bullying where every laugh from the audience upholds the tormentor’s power and weakens the human spirit. 

And of course there was Hangmen at the Royal Court, Martin McDonagh pulling out all his best tricks in this grisly but fun account of England’s last and second-best hangman. 

People, Places and Things at the National Theatre won deserved credit for Denise Gough’s shattering performance but it’s also another fantastic piece of writing from Duncan Macmillan.

This play contained my scene of the year, the returning addict’s attempt at family reconciliation, the mother and father never quite offering up the right lines to allow closure. The obligatory scene never quite obliges and becomes all the more powerful thereby. 

And so to 2016. If I see a comparable group of plays this year I’ll count myself lucky indeed.