Joe White (writer)
From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki
Joe White is an English playwright, librettist and audio writer. He has been nominated twice for an Olivier Award and his work has been staged in the UK and internationally.[1]
Early life and education
White grew up in Birmingham and studied Drama and Theatre Arts at the University of Birmingham. He developed much of his early work as part of the inaugural Birmingham REP Foundry Programme, before becoming the Channel 4 Writer in Residence at Pentabus Theatre in Shropshire.[1]
He was previously a member of the Royal Court Theatre Young Writers and Studio Groups, the Lyric Hammersmith Young Writers Programme, the Orange Tree Theatre Writers Collective, and the Old Vic 12, where he was mentored by writer Jack Thorne.[2]
Career
Theatre
- Mayfly (2018): Debut play at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond. It won Most Promising New Playwright at the 2019 Off West End Awards and was nominated for Best Writer at the 2018 Stage Debut Awards. The Telegraph described it as “a warm, wise, sad and enthralling debut… White looks set to go far indeed,”[3] The Guardian praised it as “a heartbreakingly funny debut… tender and wise,”[4] and The Sunday Times called it “a seriously promising start.”[5]
- Ursa Major (2021): Short play in the Orange Tree Theatre’s Inside/Outside season.[6]
- Blackout Songs (2022): Premiered at Hampstead Theatre, with two sell-out runs, first in the Studio in 2022 and then on the Main Stage in 2023. It was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Play in an Affiliate Theatre.[7] The Guardian described it as “brave and original writing… heart-meltingly warm,”[8] The Telegraph called it “a dark, witty, indispensable drama,”[9] and The New York Times noted it as a “spiky tragicomedy” that “brought audiences to their feet.”[10]
Musical theatre
- The Little Big Things (2023): White wrote the book for this West End musical at Soho Place. The production was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical and won Best Supporting Actress. Andrew Lloyd Webber hailed it as “the most exciting night in a theatre for years… an all British musical and it’s a total triumph… funny, moving, uplifting, wonderfully performed and brilliantly crafted. It will be an international smash.”[11] WhatsOnStage praised its “salty, funny dialogue” that is “universal, hopeful and involving.”[12] The production was recorded for NT at Home and is licensed internationally through Music Theatre International.[13]
Audio work
- The Nox (2022): An eco-thriller starring Lashana Lynch, nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Drama.[14]
- Doggerland: A GenR8 pilot project.
- 1984 (2024): A seven-part dramatization of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, released as an Audible Original. It became the platform’s most downloaded Original to date. The production starred Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Scott and Tom Hardy, with music by Matt Bellamy and Ilan Eshkeri.[15]
Selected works
| Year | Title | Medium | Venue/Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Mayfly | Play | Orange Tree Theatre |
| 2021 | Ursa Major | Short play | Orange Tree Theatre |
| 2022 | The Nox | Audio drama | Audible |
| 2022 | Blackout Songs | Play | Hampstead Theatre |
| 2023 | The Little Big Things | Musical (book) | Soho Place |
| 2024 | 1984 | Audio drama | Audible |
Awards and nominations
Wins
- 2025 — Audie Award for Audio Drama, for 1984[15]
- 2025 — Webby Awards for 1984 (Scripted Fiction; People’s Voice; Innovation)[16]
- 2025 — Signal Awards for 1984 (Scripted Fiction; Most Innovative Audio Experience)[17]
- 2021 — Royal Literary Fund JB Priestley Award for Writers of Promise[1]
- 2019 — Off West End Award for Most Promising New Playwright, for Mayfly[3]
Nominations
- 2025 — Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for 1984[15]
- 2024 — Olivier Award for Best New Musical, for The Little Big Things[citation needed]
- 2024 — Four WhatsOnStage Awards, for The Little Big Things[18]
- 2023 — Olivier Award for Best Play in an Affiliate Theatre, for Blackout Songs[7]
- 2023 — ARIA Award for Best Drama, for The Nox[14]
- 2022 — Off West End Award for Best New Play, for Blackout Songs[8]
- 2018 — Stage Debut Award for Best Writer, for Mayfly[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Joe White – Curtis Brown". Curtis Brown. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Old Vic announces new cast of Old Vic 12". WhatsOnStage. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Billington, Michael (25 April 2018). "Mayfly review, Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond: a warm, wise, sad debut". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Crompton, Sarah (24 April 2018). "Mayfly review – tender debut captures grief with warmth and humour". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Hemming, Sarah (29 April 2018). "Theatre review: Mayfly, Orange Tree, Richmond". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Joe White – Nick Hern Books". Nick Hern Books. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Blackout Songs – Hampstead Theatre". Hampstead Theatre. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Crompton, Sarah (11 November 2022). "Blackout Songs review – drunk and disorderly exploration of love and addiction". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Ferguson, Patrick (15 November 2022). "Blackout Songs, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ Marshall, Alex (24 November 2022). "London Theaters Reel From Funding Cuts". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "Andrew Lloyd Webber hails The Little Big Things a total triumph". West End Theatre. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "The Little Big Things at Soho Place review". WhatsOnStage. 14 September 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "The Little Big Things Joins MTI". Music Theatre International. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "ARIA Awards Nominees 2023". Radio Academy. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 "Audible 1984 release". Audible. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "2025 Webby Awards Winners". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "2025 Signal Awards Winners". Signal Awards. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
- ↑ "2024 WhatsOnStage Awards nominees". WhatsOnStage. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2025.
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