CHARLEY Miles, a blossoming playwright from High Kilburn, near Thirsk, has won a bursary to become West Yorkshire Playhouse’s writer in residence for 2017 She is one of five theatre writers to receive a Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme Bursary, which celebrates and supports emerging British writing talent.

Charley’s first play, the coming-of-age rural drama Blackthorn, was performed in the Playhouse’s Autumn/Winter season this September in the Barber Studio, receiving rave reviews, not least from The Press, which called her North Yorkshire’s most exciting writing talent to bloom since The Flanagan Collective’s Alexander Wright.

Charley, 25, has been supported as an artist by the Playhouse since 2015, applying successfully to its writer development programme, Playwrights 1, which gave rise to her first play.

Playhouse artistic director James Brining says: “We’re delighted to announce that the extremely talented Charley Miles will join the Playhouse as the new writer in residence for 2017. She will be embedded into our vibrant, diverse and dynamic team of directors, trainee directors and associate artists, adding to our creative community of artists at different stages of development.”

“This will include working closely with our literary associate, Jacqui Honess-Martin, who directed Charley’s beautifully poetic debut play, Blackthorn, which enjoyed a tremendous reception here in September. Charley is a unique voice from the North of England and ensuring that local artists like her have well-supported opportunities to develop their craft is absolutely integral to our mission as a theatre.”

Savouring the prospect of her new post, Charley says: “I’m so excited to continue working with the Playhouse in 2017 and am hugely proud to be their new writer in residence. West Yorkshire Playhouse really drives to develop stories that speak to the local community which thrills me as an artist and an audience member. I’m excited to be a part of that hub, to engage with some of the fantastic, forward-thinking projects they’re part of and to learn to write for a bigger stage.”

It’s very special to be able to continuing making work in and for the North of England and I’m incredibly thankful to both Channel 4 and the Playhouse for their support in making that happen.”

Playwrights were nominated by British theatre artistic directors, with the five winners selected by the scheme’s panel chaired by Sir Richard Eyre and including Film4’s creative executive, Polly Stokes, and Channel 4’s head of development for drama, Matthew Wilson.