Participation
History of the Project
In 2007 iceandfire and Amnesty International UK launched the Protect the Human playwriting competition, designed to provide a high profile platform for new writing that explored human rights issues.
Over the subsequent two years the competition attracted over 500 plays that dealt with issues as far ranging as the right to life, the Iraq war, asylum and sex tourism. Shortlisted plays were given rehearsed readings at the Soho Theatre, London with winning plays also receiving platforms at West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Rep and Theatre Royal Plymouth.
“The Protect the Human award is not about lecturing but about sowing the seeds for powerful theatre that grapples with necessary issues; it reminds people there are things we need to think about and talk about.” The Guardian on Protect the Human 2008
The response to the competition was excellent but we found that we were not able to build a relationship with promising writers because the confines of a competition structure was too rigid, with an emphasis on finding winners, rather than developing work which had potential.It is for these reasons that we are now launching Everyone has the Right.