News
BBC Voices Scotland Cohort Announced for 2026
The Stage’s ‘New to The Stage’ Feature
I’m thrilled to be spotlighted as one to watch by The Stage this month. Their ‘New to The Stage’ feature highlights new and emerging talent that has caught the eye of one of their critics. They said the following:
“Scottish playwright Jess Brodie hit the ground running with her debut play GUSH, about sexuality, pregnancy and parenthood, at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre in April.
The Stage’s Scotland correspondent Fergus Morgan was so impressed by Brodie’s “fleet, thoughtful work” that he has highlighted the writer as one to watch. […] In his review for The Stage, Morgan said: “It’s a compellingly messy situation that raises provocative questions around desire and parenthood, and Brodie’s fast and frank writing navigates them with intelligence.
“Her portrait of the emotional manipulations and sexual frustrations that seep into a long-term relationship is especially keen, as is her evocation of prenatal angst.”
He also described the play as “deft” and said he would like to see more [work] such as this at the Traverse.”
After making it to the top 1% of BBC’s Open Call last year, I’ve been working on a brand new series idea for TV on the BBC Voices Programme. My original series, I’M ON MY WAY, is a female-led comedy drama about two intergenerational women who embark on a road trip around Scotland. Despite their differences, they both find new meaning in the open roads and their deep and blossoming friendship.
The experience has been invaluable and I’ve loved learning so many brand new skills. Read more about the Scottish Cohort here.
Jess Hardwick wins for GUSH at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland!
Jess Hardwick has won the award for Outstanding Performance at the Critic’s Awards for Theatre in Scotland for GUSH!
Neil Cooper from the Herald said:
“Jessica Hardwick has been missed from Scotland’s stages over the last couple of years as she has focused on TV work. Her return in Jess Brodie’s debut professional play, GUSH, saw her fly solo in a performance of intelligence, subtlety and nuance. As Ally, a young middle-class mum to be whose sexual urges see her embark on a dangerous but liberating liaison in a Cambuslang hotel, Hardwick tapped into Ally’s desires with wit and wonder. The result was a performance in which Hardwick proved herself once more as one of the great Scottish actresses of her generation.”
I’m so proud of this production and of Jess - so well deserved.