Plymouth Laureate of Words presents a World Book Day event to unveil new modern play text collection, a play reading and a Q&A at Plymouth Proprietary Library

Thursday 3rd March 7pm

Plymouth Laureate of Words Laura Horton, will be unveiling a new modern plays section, generously donated by Concord Theatricals and Paines Plough at Plymouth Proprietary Library to celebrate World Book Day 2022.

The event will include a short reading of one of Laura's new plays, Breathless.

This will be followed by a Q&A with Plymouth's first woman and playwright in the role of Plymouth Laureate of Words.

“I’m really keen to get people to think about picking up a play to read like they would a novel or short story. Plays are so accessible and fun to read, they fire your visual imagination in wonderful ways. I’m delighted that Concord Theatricals have donated such a brilliant range to the library and hope people get lots of use out of them.”

Laura Horton, Plymouth Laureate of Words

Light refreshments offered for a small donation.

Laura Horton is Plymouth Laureate of Words, the first woman and playwright in the role. She is a Soho Theatre Writer’s Lab alumni, 2017. Laura’s full-length play, Labyrinth Diet, was performed as part of Foreword Festival, 2021, it was nominated for an ONCOMM award. In 2020 she wrote and produced her first film, A Summer of Birds (Plymouth Fringe, Toast of the Fringe winner). She is an artistic associate of The Space, who support arts organisations and artists to develop work and reach audiences online. Her first play Hidden by Things about her experience of hoarding disorder is due to be performed at Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and Abi Zakarian’s Power Share and is being developed with the support of Downstage Write. Laura is currently commissioned by Theatre Royal Plymouth and was listed in The Stage 100 2021, for her campaigning with her project Theatre Stories. In November 2021 her play The Pizza Inspector with Above Bounds and With Flying Colours will be performed in Plymouth primary schools. Triptych includes Giddy Tuppy (The Space, ONCOMM winner 2020); and Bloody Men (Arcola Theatre, Miniaturists 2019). Her next play as part of the Laureate will be premiered on 8 march 2022 at Plymouth University.

Concord Theatricals Ltd is the UK home of R&H Theatricals, Samuel French Ltd and Tams-Witmark, plus dozens of new signings every year. Their unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Harold Pinter, Cole Porter, Terrence Rattigan, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder and August Wilson. They are the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class production.

Concord Theatricals is passionate about cultivating theatre and making it accessible for all. Beginning in 2020, a portion of their commission from every licence will be set aside to create a fund for significant annual donations to charitable organisations whose emphasis is to support theatre writers and composers, and music and drama education.

Thanks to a generous donation from one of our library members we have been able to transform a number of books that were looking very much the worse for wear! The work was carried out by Bristol Book Bound and these books are now available again for members to read.

From the Maritime Book Collection
Trelawney's adventure of a younger son.
From The Local Studies Collection
Highways and Byways of Devon and Cornwall
Memoir of William Cookworthy
The Book of Plymouth - British Medical Association
The history of the Cholera in Exeter 1832.

Sandra Greenhalgh pictured here receiving her gift of cheese by Fr Gregory at the lecture on the 'Science of Falling in Love' held appropriately on Valentines Day at the PPL recently.

Other lucky recipients of goodies included Elisabeth Carpenter and Chloe Adams who were enthralled at the interesting revelations of Fr Gregory's Lecture ably assisted by his wife Elizabeth who read the poetry extracts.

Details of more lectures to be held at the PPL later.

Work started in February on moving the books to our new home in the former St Barnabas Surgery at Pennycomequick. It is hoped over the next couple of months to complete the move to the new premises.

With over 20,000 books to move as well as all the existing bookcases to relocate in the new building any offers of help would very much be appreciated with this herculean task.

The kettle was the first thing to be moved!! so if you would like to get involved in any way just give us a call on 01752 660515 we would be more than pleased to hear from you.

Click here to see more images of the new building

We shall soon be moving our delightful Poetry Collections to our new address and invite you to have a taste of some of them in the next few weeks.

These books are from Plymouth Proprietary Library's own collection and they, along with the rest of our collection, are available for members to borrow.

The Simon Curtis Collection of poetry books is available for browsing and reference only and we invite you to browse the online and paper catalogue of this marvellous collection at your leisure.

This connoisseur collection of poetry is available for members of the library and non members alike to enjoy.

Plymouth Proprietary Library has been given the poetry collection of the late Dr Simon Curtis. The collection, is wide-ranging, including volumes of Simon Curtis' own work, signed and dedicated work of contemporary poets, poetry collections and journals.

The catalogue, compiled by Alan Munton, is available on the library's computer, our website and in a hard copy. Currently the books are for reference only.

We are delighted to have received this gift and hope that it will give great pleasure to all our members, amongst whom we were proud to have included Simon Curtis. Our thanks go to his friends and family who have facilitated this gift in memory of Simon.