Young playwright opens two productions

Frankie Meredith (pictured), a young Midlands based playwright, will have two shows running this summer, as part of Coventry UK City of Culture 2021.

May Queen will stage its world premiere from 29 July and 8 August as part of the Belgrade Theatre and Paines Plough 's Roundabout 2021 season, a festival of new world-class plays and community-led activities is taking place this summer in Paines Plough 's pop-up theatre Roundabout, which will be situated in the grounds of Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre in Wood End, Coventry.

Petticoat Council, which Meredith also directs, will premiere at Warwick Arts Centre from 15 to 17 June, with a press night on 16 June.

Petticoat Council is a folk musical incorporating storytelling, song, dance and puppetry, telling the true story of a group of women from Bishop 's Itchington near Coventry, who in 1949 formed the first female majority council in the UK post-WW2, transforming the village into a thriving community.

Frankie is a Paines Plough Big Room Fellow, an alumna of the Soho Young Writers Lab 2015, and a graduate of the Lyric Young Writers Programme 2013.

Frankie said: “Having two shows open this summer (of all summers) is such a dream. I 'm so grateful for everyone working so hard to make it happen safely.

"Although the plays are entirely different in their themes and styles, the one thing I was really passionate about was staging them in the communities in which they 're set. I spent a lot of my teen years in Cov, so when it came to writing a story here, I just knew it had to be told by a sixteen year old girl and getting her experience on stage.

“With Petticoat Council, my great aunt was one of the women who formed the council, so it 's been in my family for a few generations and has been many years in the writing.

“Both plays focus on how women tell and pass down stories. With moments that will uplift and spark joy, which I feel audiences need right now, they also carry strong messages of resilience, community and hope. I 'm most excited about working with the incredible teams on each. ”