Writers
Ellen Brammar
Keeper (70 mins)
Ellen is a Hull-based writer. She has had two plays produced by Middle Child, I Hate Alone and Modest, the latter of which toured the country and closed at the Kiln Theatre in London in 2023.
She was one of BBC’s Northern Voices in 2020, where she turned I Hate Alone into a TV pilot.
Ellen lives in Hull with her husband and two young children.
Jim Norris
No Scrap, No Chips (70 mins)
Jim has lived and worked in Hull for most of his life. It’s his home and a whole part of his identity in one.
He started writing when he applied for the Middle Child Writers’ Group, which gave him the confidence to keep going with it and from there Jim has written for Middle Child and Hull Truck Theatre.
Samuel Sims and Jay Grainger
Everyone We Know Has Kids (30 mins)
Samuel is a writer from Hull, who has written extensively about his experiences as a queer person for publications like The Guardian. He also works for Hull Independent Cinema and recently programmed an entire season of LGBTQ+ films. He took part in Middle Child's 2022 Writers' Group.
Jay is an actor who trained at the London School of Musical Theatre. In 2023, he was instrumental in Autistic Pride's involvement in the city's wider celebrations at Hull Truck Theatre, something he is very proud of and that he hopes will continue into the future. He took part in Hull Truck's 2022 Playwriting Group.
They met in London and married in 2020, before moving to Hull to (hopefully) finally start their parenthood journey.
Together they passionately advocate for authentic queer representation, which they channel through their work as models in the wedding industry. This is their first commission as playwrights.
Noor Sobka
Colonel Gadaddy (30 mins)
Noor is a Libyan theatre-maker with a particular interest in comedy and telling Middle Eastern and North African and global majority stories.
Having lived in Hull during formative years in her childhood, she has fond memories of Hull.
Noor has been a part of various programmes including Soho Theatre’s writing programme and The Old Vic Theatre Makers. She is also a trained dramaturg and script reader.
Sean Climie
The Pull Up (Monologue)
Sean hails from the middle of nowhere around Glasgow, but came to Hull to study drama at university. Like many, he wanted to be an actor when he joined, but left having written two plays and growing an appreciation for characters and world building.
Sean graduated in the pandemic and went back to nowhere in Scotland, where there weren’t many employment opportunities, and decided to move back to Hull as he missed the people there.
He took part in Hull Truck’s Introduction To Playwriting course last year and attended workshops at Fresh Ink 2024, finding both very inspiring.
Michelle Kelly
Roll to React (Monologue)
Michelle is an actor, voice actor and singer who is passionate about storytelling through a queer, neurodivergent lens and platforming the work and talent of people of colour.
This commission is her first-ever professional writing opportunity and she is excited and terrified in equal measure.
Laura Wilson
Meet You at the Corner (Monologue)
Laura is a writer and a local business owner. Born and bred in Hull, she performs, writes, sings and enjoys making people laugh.
She began performing from an early age at every opportunity, playing violin and various roles in school plays and local theatre.
Laura has recently graduated with a BA in Creative Writing & English.
Selection Process
Each writer was commissioned for Fresh Ink 2025 by our independent selection panel, through an open submission process.
Read a blog post about this year’s selection process, from a previous writer who was on the panel.
Commissions
A commission is when a writer is paid to write something.
Find out more about the commissions that were available for 2025, including criteria, eligibility and fee for the writers.
2026
Applications for writing commissions at Fresh Ink 2026 will open after this year’s festival.
See our Writer FAQ for more details and subscribe to Middle Child’s artist development mailing list to hear when submissions open.