anna maria murphy

Theatre, Writing, Community, Education, Everyday Life

Suggested by Simon Harvey, Caroline Newborn

Simon writes, “Anna is a Writer, Performer, Educationalist, Eccentric, Gig Rower and General Force of Nature. She was a core member of Kneehigh Theatre Company and Artistic Director of the Story Republic. She has written for Radio 4, Rogue Theatre, o-region, Cscape Dance and Bagas Degol. Instrumental in hundreds of educational and creative outreach projects in schools and community settings, Anna is a tireless supporter of young, emerging and emerged artists and is at the heart of countless fundraising, community and activism events.

She is a dear friend and valued colleague and we have worked on many projects together including Kneehigh Rambles and more recently o-region’s FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH. Anna has an innate skill in engaging with almost everybody. The writing she produces is always surprising, skillful and surpremely well crafted (even if her ability to shift between tenses drives me to distraction).

Born and raised in Polperro, she has spent the majority of her life in West Penwith. Her writing is inspired by Cornwall and at its best captures Cornwall’s unique distinctiveness as well as anyone I have read. Anna is deeply connected with her local community and deeply embedded in the Cornish arts world, supporting many companies, individuals and organisations. Anna is comfortably one of the best human beings I have ever encountered and I know many others would support this statement.

Caroline says, “Anna worked on many projects whilst I was a teacher at Mousehole school including founding Tom Bawcock’s lantern procession. Working from a small shed in her garden, she writes with Cornwall at heart, her prose capturing the Cornish landscape and traditions and encapsulating all that makes Cornwall magical.”