Current Projects

I’ve a number of current projects in development. These include a radio sitcom; a new audio drama, Tang Hall Stories, based on archival material in partnership with York Explore and Digital Drama; as well as a published collection of my plays.

I am one of the writers creating new work for Yorkshire Trios and Next Door But One in March 2024. Riding Lights Theatre Company will be remounting my Passion Play, The Narrow Road, for a National Tour in the run-up to Easter 2024 and a children’s Christmas show, A Christmas Cracker, in December 2024.

I am running various one-off workshops and courses around the country. These include the Theatre Lab programme (Meisner and Improvisation) and multiple courses on Improvisation, The Improv Gym, hosted at York Theatre Royal and Friargate Theatre. I will also continue to run the regular improv courses for Converge throughout the year. I am also teaching, as an Associate Lecturer, on multiple postgraduate and undergraduate theatre programmes at the University of York. I will also be facilitating a creative arts programme helping the community of The Groves tell and share their stories with Next Door But One as part of the York Trailblazers project. I will also be delivering a play-in-a-week project for 11-14s for York Theatre Royal in July 2024. To enquire about future workshops or to hire me to create and deliver a workshop for your festival or organisation then please contact me here.

I am delighted that in the Autumn of 2023 Arts Council England awarded me my first DYCP grant to pursue my research and practice in Improvisation & Mental Health. This will enable me to work and learn from the best improvisers in the UK, New York and Chicago over the course of 2024. It is my intention to use this research, and the new skills gained, to offer my local community, and the industry, new ways to improvise and improve mental and emotional health whilst doing so.

To find out about improv workshops near you or to hire me to run an improv workshop or coach your improv team please reach out via to me at The Improv Gym.

To keep in touch for glimpses of these works-in-progess you can follow on me on instagram @paulbirchmakes and Twitter @PaulBirch5.

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Image Credit James Drury