Chris York
Writer
Chris York is an actor and playwright, born and bred in the greatest seaside town in the world, Scarborough.
He is an alumni of Child Haven Nursery, Gladstone Road Junior School, Graham School and Scarborough 6th Form College. He accrued thousands of pounds of student debt attending The University of York and Mountview Academy.
He is a HighTide First Commissions Winner, but Chris didn’t win (finalist of) the ITV’s Red Planet Award, Off West End’s Adopt a Playwright Award or Sky Arts’ Screen/Play Award. In early 2021, Stockroom took pity on Chris and employed him as a resident playwright for Stockroom.
His play Build a Rocket toured the UK in 2019. The play scrutinises the stereotypes surrounding single mothers and the challenges they face in socio-economically deprived parts of the UK. It was published by Methuen. It was Richard Jordan of The Stage’s “Best new British play of the year” and won the Holden Street Award. Chris’ grandma, genuinely, didn’t attend the play’s premier because of the inappropriate language.
Chris ripped-off Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Pit & The Pendulum. The play opened in Oxford’s Bodleian Libraries’ historical Convocation House before transferring to Omnibus Theatre in London and marked Chris’ directorial debut. “Powerhouse of a production” – The Upcoming. “A masterpiece… Written and directed exquisitely” – London Theatre Reviews. It is still disputed whether or not Chris exchanged financial incentives with reviewers at The Upcoming or London Theatre Reviews.
Because full-length texts take a long time to write, Chris has also written a lot of short plays, including: JIMBOB (The Arcola), 212 (The Bunker), A MILLION LITTLE HANDS (The Arts), SEVEN PEOPLE (The Arts), ACT 6 (Rosemary Branch), JESUS IS A ROCHDALE GIRL (The Last Refuge), DRAFTS (Southwark Playhouse), DON’T SHOW THIS TO CHERI (Stratford East). THREE LITTLE PIGS (Gladstone Road Junior School, Year 6 Assembly).
As an actor Chris has an extensive body of work, but he doesn’t pay all that money for Spotlight to share it here for free. Chris’ literary heroes include Caroline Aherne, Jim Cartwright, Alan Bennett, Kendrick Lamar, Sally Wainwright, Brian K. Vaughan, Jimmy McGovern and former Tottenham and England star Ledley King.
“This is my Club, my one and only Club” – Ledley King on Stockroom.
Chris says – “Joining Stockroom is a game-changer for me. It feels seminal. Not only does it give me a new outlet to help tell stories, but also to connect with like-minded artists. I don’t doubt we will become collaborators and creative allies beyond our time with Stockroom.”