The award, created in the memory of the renowned playwright, screenwriter and Bristol Drama alumnus, will support the writer in critically examining Kevin’s archive and his experiments in form, culminating in a series of podcasts, workshops and a new play drawing on regional themes.

Kevin’s archive was donated to the Theatre Collection by his family following his death in 2014. This comprises scripts, correspondence, manuscripts, and publicity material detailing Kevin's work from initial idea to finished product from across his entire career.

Polly studied English Literature and Drama at Birmingham University and achieved an MA in Classical and Contemporary Text at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She began her directing career at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and went on to a residency at the MSC & Oxford Playhouse.

As a performer she has spent over 10 years working as an actor, storyteller, and workshop leader; involved with museums, schools, theatres, and various festivals including The Egg (Theatre Royal Bath), Wilderness, and Oxford Arts Festival.

Polly said: “I am absolutely delighted to be the recipient of this year's Kevin Elyot Award. As a theatre-maker who has written for the stage for many years but never dared to call myself a playwright, this is an exciting opportunity to immerse myself in my writing practice, and to be inspired and guided by Elyot's work and process.

“Playwriting can be a lonely and lengthy business! It feels full of solo wrestling matches with ideas, questions, character arcs and rewrites. In part, I hope that my residency at Bristol Theatre Collection can bring local writers, actors, directors and researchers together, to share in - and celebrate - the tantalizing process of playwriting.”