Meet the Writers behind Get Creative 2025 showcases

This summer we're bursting with pride as our talented youth companies take to the Cornwall Playhouse stage to showcase everything they've learned and achieved. From first-time performers to seasoned stage starlets, this showcase - delivered with support from Get Creative partners DHL - is your opportunity to celebrate our HfC Youth Companies as they step into the spotlight across three nights of performance.

Our Get Creative team are powering up the next generation of creatives, providing resources and opportunities for young people to learn from big industry names from across Cornwall's creative scene, including this year's writers, Susan Lay and Sarah Connors, as well as o-Region's Simon Harvey, the Olivier-award winning theatre maker and director, who directs The Ghosts of Pendu Manor for this year's Theatre! showcase.

Susan and Sarah will premiere their brand-new pieces, performed by our Youth Companies, at the Theatre! and Drama! showcases.

Susan Lay is an associate director of the Get Creative youth theatre programme. This year during the Drama! showcase, Susan is premiering two brand-new plays This House and The Evacuees. As a Devon-born actor, writer and director, Susan has worked across stage and screen for 20 years, including her debut Sea Spray and Cuckoo Spit played at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009. Since then, Susan's has amassed awards and nominations, living and working in Cornwall and featuring in BBC iPlayer’s collection of Cornish Shorts.

Sarah Connors has written two plays for the Theatre! show at this year's Youth Celebration: Toes and The Ghosts of Pendu Manor. A Playwright based in Hayle, Sarah stepped away from twenty years in education to fulfill her long-held writing ambitions. Since then, Sarah has been shortlisted for prestigious awards such as the Papatango Playwriting Prize and the Phil Fox Award. The Bush Theatre has sponsored Sarah to participate in the Sphinx30 Lab, a groundbreaking scheme designed to champion women playwrights. Last year, her sold out debut play, TRE, was performed across Cornwall and later enjoyed a run at the Minack Theatre. Sarah is an Associate Artist at The Writers’ Block - Cornwall’s centre for writing.

The Get Creative Youth Celebration 2025 runs from Thu 24 - Sat 26 Jul and tickets are just £6 each

Get Creative Youth Celebration: Dance!, Thu 24 Jul, 6pm
Get Creative Youth Celebration: Drama!, Fri 25 Jul, 6pm
Get Creative Youth Celebration: Theatre!, Sat 26 Jul, 7pm

Get Creative, delivering tomorrow's performances with DHL