Faebian Averies has been named as the BBC Wales & National Theatre Wales Writer in Residence. Averies was announced and then interviewed about her new position in a special episode of the BBC Radio Wales Arts Show with Nicola Heywood Thomas on Friday.
In a statement on winning the writer in residence for 2021, Faebian Averies mentioned that:
“I began pursuing writing properly in 2018 but have loved words ever since I can remember. I read a lot as a kid and alongside my three siblings, constantly made up stories and imaginative games. I went to Stanwell School in Penarth which had an amazing drama department and it was there that I realised that you can make up stories and act them out for a living.
“When I graduated from studying drama at university, I found the realities of balancing pursuing acting and the need to work full time in a ‘normal’ job really difficult. I feel actors begin to create their own work for many different reasons but for me it was wanting to take back that control over my performances and to do my acting work justice again. Whilst pursuing writing for this reason, I realised that having to work full time was the best thing to have happened to me as I had unknowingly been building up a huge backlog of life experiences, which have laid the foundations for my characters and stories and worlds going forward.
“I surprised myself with just how much I loved writing. Now writing isn’t just a vehicle for my acting but a passion completely on its own. I am writing more and more for other performers and spend hours tucked away with my head buried in my laptop.”
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