Rae Mainwaring is a writer and theatre maker from Birmingham. She lives with a Chronic illness and identifies as a disabled artist.
She studied at the University of Birmingham, before working with local theatre companies, both as a writer and facilitator. She was a lead artist on ‘Furnace’, a community engagement program working with marginalised groups of women in North Birmingham. Culminating in two plays created with the participants.
She is an alumni of The Foundry, Birmingham Rep’s renowned artist development program, where she developed her play ‘Bright Places’, which draws her own experience of being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in her early 20’s. Told in a unique theatrical and anarchic style, ‘Bright Places’ was performed at the Foundry Festival and China Plate’s Bite Sized Festival. In 2020 it received a commission from The Barry Jackson Trust tour.
Her play ‘The Last (Plastic) Straw’ was commissioned by The Play House Project, whose regional partners include Bristol Old Vic, York Theatre Royal, Plymouth Theatre Royal and Theatre Iolo. A comedy about the environment and power of small voices, written to be performed by KS2 children. In 2022, it headlined a youth festival at Birmingham Rep Theatre on the main stage.
Her monologue ‘Time to Shine’ was commissioned by Women & Theatre as part of their play ‘PrimeTime’, shining a light on women’s experiences in retirement and appears in their recently published anthology of monologues ‘Women and Work’.
Rae is an associate artist with Graeae Theatre Company through their ‘Beyond’ program, which supports disabled artists develop their career.
She is currently developing a play with Director Omar Khan exploring young widowhood, ‘A Beginners Guide to Widowhood’, in association with Derby Theatre and In Good Company. It has been performed at ‘Bedlam festival’ 2021 and ‘Departure Lounge’ 2022, it has plans to tour in 2023.
She was part of the 2021 cohort for BBC Coventry voices
Rae is co artistic director of Running with Scissors a New theatre company that champions the work of parent/carer artists, they launch in June at The Belgrade Theatre Coventry.
Her play Bright Places is in development for screen with Leftbank pictures and she has worked as contributor for ‘The Fuck it Bucket’ series 2 for Netflix.
She was awarded the Peggy Ramsay/film4 award 2023 for her play Bright Places and will become the Birmingham Rep’s writer in residence while developing a new play.
