Louis Emmitt-Stern
About
My research project
Dramatic Writing Practice and Pedegogy: Training the Contemporary ScriptwriterMy AHRC Techne-funded project looks to investigate the gap between dramatic writing practice and pedagogy by comparing the actual process of writing scripts with the ways we teach students to write them. The aim of which is to develop a pedagogical approach that moves beyond the product-focused, dramaturgical confines of ‘how do plays and screenplays work?’ and instead towards a process-focused interrogation of ‘how do we train good playwrights and screenwriters?'. This practice-led inquiry examines the scriptwriting process through the creation of a portfolio of new dramatic work. Subsequent analysis and evaluation of the creative process, in conjunction with an in-depth review of current British scriptwriting curricula, aims to critically inform the development of a cohesive and bespoke pedagogical approach to scriptwriting.
Supervisors
My AHRC Techne-funded project looks to investigate the gap between dramatic writing practice and pedagogy by comparing the actual process of writing scripts with the ways we teach students to write them. The aim of which is to develop a pedagogical approach that moves beyond the product-focused, dramaturgical confines of ‘how do plays and screenplays work?’ and instead towards a process-focused interrogation of ‘how do we train good playwrights and screenwriters?'. This practice-led inquiry examines the scriptwriting process through the creation of a portfolio of new dramatic work. Subsequent analysis and evaluation of the creative process, in conjunction with an in-depth review of current British scriptwriting curricula, aims to critically inform the development of a cohesive and bespoke pedagogical approach to scriptwriting.
Areas of specialism
My qualifications
News
In the media
ResearchResearch interests
I am an award-winning writer for stage and screen. My plays include SLIPPERY (winner of Soho Theatre’s Tony Craze Award; world premiere at Omnibus Theatre), I F*CKED YOU IN MY SPACESHIP (Soho Theatre & VAULT Festival, winner of the Origins Award for Outstanding New Work), IS THIS US FADING OUT (Watford Palace Theatre), SNAKES AND LADDERS (Southwark Playhouse), MANSFIELD PARK (from the novel by Austen; Jane Austen’s House & Guildford School of Acting). I was called “a rising star playwright” by Time Out. My plays are published by Nick Hern Books.
In 2023, I received a HM Government of Gibraltar Cultural Award for Special Achievement, recognising my contribution to the arts and culture in Gibraltar.
Research interests
I am an award-winning writer for stage and screen. My plays include SLIPPERY (winner of Soho Theatre’s Tony Craze Award; world premiere at Omnibus Theatre), I F*CKED YOU IN MY SPACESHIP (Soho Theatre & VAULT Festival, winner of the Origins Award for Outstanding New Work), IS THIS US FADING OUT (Watford Palace Theatre), SNAKES AND LADDERS (Southwark Playhouse), MANSFIELD PARK (from the novel by Austen; Jane Austen’s House & Guildford School of Acting). I was called “a rising star playwright” by Time Out. My plays are published by Nick Hern Books.
In 2023, I received a HM Government of Gibraltar Cultural Award for Special Achievement, recognising my contribution to the arts and culture in Gibraltar.
Teaching
For 2025/26, I lead the following modules on BA English Literature & Creative Writing, and MA Creative Writing programs:
- MFC3034 Screenwriting (level 6)
- ELIM037 Advanced Screenwriting (level 7)
At GSA, I contribute to modules on BA Applied & Contemporary Theatre, MA Acting, and MA Theatre programs:
- APP2002 Theatre Making (level 5)
- APP3002 Professional Development (level 6)
- ACTM051 Rehearsal and Performance (level 7)
- ACTM044 Professional Development (level 7)
- TLDM003 Independent Research Project (level 7)
I lead the Contextual Studies module on the MA Acting program at East 15 Acting School, University of Essex.
I am a Visiting Lecturer and Mentor on the MA/MFA Writing for Theatre, Film, Radio and Television at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London.
Publications
2AM. A London flat. Jude and Kyle return from A&E. One has slipped, but they're both falling. A decade after their messy breakup, old wounds reopen as their tender reunion unravels into something more dangerous.
Louis Emmitt-Stern's Slippery is a hilarious and heartfelt play about ghosts, sex, and spaghetti. Winner of Soho Theatre's Tony Craze Award, it premiered at Omnibus Theatre, Clapham, in 2026.
Samuel and Anthony ended it. Now what? What does it mean to break up and not break away?
An intimate and insightful two-hander, Louis Emmitt-Stern's play Is This Us Fading Out looks at a young couple's relationship after their 'relationship'. It was first performed at Watford Palace Theatre in 2021.
Two couples each invite a stranger into their homes in the hope of sparking new life. Instead, they find themselves threatened by invasion, alienation and abduction…
Louis Emmitt-Stern's uncanny and razor-sharp sci-fi comedy-drama I Fucked You in My Spaceship received a sold-out premiere at VAULT Festival 2023, winning the Origins Award for Outstanding New Work. It subsequently transferred to Soho Theatre, London.
An anthology of five of the best plays from VAULT Festival 2023, London's leading festival of live performance.