Naomi’s Christmas List

Picture of two woman holding hands over a lantern.
Every festive season my family struggles on what to get me for Christmas. I’m not that picky! I’m just very content with what I have. However, something which never fails to bring me joy is a new play, either to read or to go and see. So here is a list of plays I’ve encountered which I think are worth a look and suggestions for some other fabulous stocking fillers for any writers in your life. 

Meet Me at Dawn By Zinnie Harris

This is one of the first plays I read this year and it was my favourite by far. I loved the story, the way it was written, and how it inspired me to keep writing. It’s really gripping. 

A Streetcar Named Desire By Tennessee Williams

 I have an attachment to this play as I performed for my Higher drama exam and also wrote about it in my Advanced Higher English dissertation. I loved it then and still think about it a lot now. Each character has an interesting story and its perfect to get lost in, curling up reading around a fire. 

Pretty Woman The Musical - Jerry Mitchell

This was the first show I saw in London, it was a spur of the moment thing. I went with my parents, and it was the best night. We’d spent all day exploring where I would be living and studying, and it just ended the trip on a high. It’s so fun and has such happy memories for me. 

It's True, It's True, It's True, a Breach Theatre Production

This is a play I watched as part of my course at University, it’s a verbatim piece of theatre, based on the 1612 trial of Agostino Tassi for the rape of baroque painter Artemisia Gentileschi. Using surviving court transcripts, this play dramatized the seven-month trial that gripped Renaissance Rome and asks how much has changed in the last four centuries. I found this play surprising, challenging and inspiring. 

Salt by Selina Thompson

This was a fascinating one-woman show, in which the author draws upon her journey retracing the transatlantic slave triangle from Britain to Ghana to Jamaica and back - I'd really recommend it. 

Wish list – Top Picks 

Despite being an acting student in London, the number of plays I have been to see is very limited due to my lack of funds (apparently, I have to prioritise things like food and circuit washing when I’d much rather be in a theatre every weekend...) Here's a list of what I'd be most excited to see if one day I did win the lottery... perhaps they’d be a good gift for someone you know too…

- Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley - this looks really decadent and fun. 

- A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic, a very posh panto to enjoy the festive spirit!

- The Play that Goes Wrong at the Duchess Theatre 

- Cyrano de Bergerac with James McAvoy 

Writer’s Essentials 

I’m the kind of writer and person generally who likes a nice environment to work in and just exist comfortably. Here is a list of my personal comforts and essentials, most of these would be great to fill stockings too!

Tea/coffee- when I drink tea it's got to be either chai with a little bit of oat milk or a Pukka tea called Feel New. When I drink coffee it’s a latte with coconut milk.

Biscuits- my go-to writing snack is a dark chocolate digestive but I’m partial to a KitKat.

Socks- fluffy socks are so important for me when writing, I just like to feel cosy and comfortable (especially at Christmas time)

Candles- since it’s the festive season the candle I’m currently burning when I work is a Yankee Candle called Candy Kane Lane.

Notebooks- a nice notebook makes all the difference and is a lovely gift for starting a fresh project in the new year. 

Fairy Lights- there is nothing I can’t stand more than harsh lighting, I like lots of small light for a cosy ambience.

Instrumental music- I like to have background noise when I’m working, I can’t seem to concentrate in silence. However, I can listen to music with words because I either get distracted trying to choose the next song or I end writing down the lyrics. So, I either listen to instrumental music or I will find an ambient video on YouTube. My favourite is one called Christmas in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. This helps my concentration - what could help me focus more than the calming sounds of candles and quills on scratchy paper?!

Billboard showing Pretty Woman at the theatre

Naomi Watson

Naomi is part of the Bunbury Banter Young Playwrights Programme 2020-2021

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