Nicola McCartney

Nicola McCartney is a Scotland-based playwright, director and dramaturge. Originally from Belfast, she trained as a director at Charabanc Theatre Company, Belfast and the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow/ G&J Productions.  She was Artistic Director of Glasgow-based new writing theatre company, lookOUT from 1992 to 2002. In 1996 she directed the national tour of TRAINSPOTTING by Irvine Welsh adapted by Harry Gibson (1996) for the Citizens Theatre/ G&J Productions. As a playwright her work includes: LAUNDRY, EASY, HOME, CAVE DWELLERS (7:84 Scotland Theatre Co.), HERITAGE (Traverse), CONVICTIONS and 1 IN 5 (Tinderbox), UNDERWORLD (Frantic Assembly), LIFEBOAT (Catherine Wheels) which won the TMA/ Equity Best New Show For Children & Young People 2002), A SHEEP CALLED SKYE, (National Theatre of Scotland). Nicola has worked as a dramaturge and on script development for a range of companies including Playwrights Studio Scotland, Tron Theatre, Theatre Hebrides, Birds of Paradise, Traverse Theatre, NTS, Stellar Quines and the Edinburgh International Festival 2005 and Vanishing Point. Nicola was one of the inaugural Associate Playwrights of the Playwrights Studio Scotland. She was a recipient of a Creative Scotland Award 2003 to work on her first novel. Nicola has also written extensively for radio, TV and film. She is currently Lecturer in Writing for Theatre & Performance at the University of Edinburgh. Her current commissions include: National Theatre Scotland; Abbey Theatre, Dublin; Tinderbox; Traverse Theatre and BBC Radio Drama. She has been Writer in Residence at University of Ulster and Shetland Arts amongst others and is currently Lecturer in Writing for Performance at the University of Edinburgh.