Pre-School, 6+, 10+
Xana is a stage and screen writer based in Edinburgh. After leaving school aged fifteen, she later went on to study at the Royal Conservatoire for Scotland, has been nominated for and won numerous awards and residencies, including the highly competitive BBC Writersroom, Dramaroom scheme and her work has been seen throughout the UK and internationally.
Xana has written across a variety of television and theatre productions, including all five series of BAFTA-nominated Molly and Mack for CBeebies, and has written pilot episodes, bibles and script polishes across drama, animation and kids, and currently has a number of original ideas in development.
Xana has a particular interest in finding the magic and humour in stories about people who have been let-down, left-behind or left-out, often inspired by those she has met through her work with socially excluded communities and by her own life. Xana’s writing spans everything from joyful pre-school comedy to dark and gritty drama, often exploring themes around the treatment of women and girls, mental illness, poverty and neurodiversity, all subjects with which Xana has first-hand, lived experience.
Development work on an animated series.
Writer for last year’s CBeebies Prom, ‘A Journey Into the Ocean‘, performed on Saturday 23rd July 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall.
Autobiographical, magical realist play about one girl’s journey into becoming a woman and the cyclical nature of abuse. Supported by Playwrights’ Studio Scotland.
Drama mini series. Pilot episode and series bible written with support from BBC Writersroom Scotland.
New animation series in development with comedian and writer Phil O’Shea.
Touring theatre commission, due early 2023.
Reading at the International Children’s Festival 2021, commissioned by Imaginate through the Accelerator Programme.
Episode ‘Jungle Dreams’.
Short animation commission.
Short animation commission.
Two episodes:
‘Game Day’ (S3)
‘Fairy Bundle’ (S4)
1 x 15′ episode, ‘Show and Tell’, for the live action kids show.
1 x 15′ episode for the live action kids show. Currently available on BBC iPlayer.
Writing for the Cbeebies live action gameshow.
Writing on the pre-school show aimed to help children develop communication and language skills.
Dramaturgy on an interactive dance-film commissioned by the International Children’s Festival 2021.
Writing and dramaturgy for this production at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2019 and Edinburgh Fringe 2019, and shown as a screening at Big Dreamers Festival and North Wall Arts Centre.
A new play written with seed funding from the Unicorn Theatre and Imaginate.
Development residency with Dancebase creating a piece with a choreographer, a musician, a visual artist and three Boys. Supported by Imaginate.
Play developed with Frozen Charlotte Production for a Scottish tour in Autumn 2018.
Rehearsed reading took place at the Imaginate Festival 2016 as part of the Expo Programme.
NOMINATION: Best Production for Children and Young People at the 17th annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS)
Original story, Edinburgh Fringe 2018.
A musical adaptation of the book by Michael Rosen and Richard Holland that played for four weeks at Polka Theatre.
Toured throughout England and Scotland.
National tour of this play with songs adapted from the Kenyan book Who’s Calling by Charity Waciuma.
Alternative Christmas show
8 minute solo/interactive/one-to-one performance inspired by the Napalm Death song of the same name played at Forest Fringe as part of Brian Lobel’s Cruising for Art, Buzzcut, Manipulate and Outskirts Festival.
Development commission.
One of 21 artists on a year long attachment to the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh for The Lyceum L20
NESTS shortlisted for Best Production for Children and Young People at the 17th annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) 2019
Named as a writer on the BBC New Talent Hotlist 2017.
HUP (Director) nominated for Outstanding Children’s Production Canadian DORA Awards’ 2017.
Invited to attend a three day development residental with BBC Writersroom, BBC Childrens and BBC Stay Safe exploring new drama ideas around social media / safety online.
Selected to take part in a three-day-residential for writers of interest to BBC Scotland’s RIVER CITY.
Invited to pitch ideas to BBC Scotland’s The Social, aiming to work towards a new, contemporary, female-led, online drama.
BBC III / The Writersroom The Break III – shortlisted to development workshop stage.
BBC Radio 3 / The Writersroom The Verb – opportunity to work as far as full draft script stage.
BBC Writersroom / Dramaroom Attachment 2016 – only participant living in Scotland, selected from over 3100 applicants.
Creative Scotland funded Artist-in-Residence at Summerhall 2013/2014. Writing NESTS with mentorship from Douglas Maxwell. Performed reading with actors David Mackay and Nicola Jo Cully.
Playwrights’ Studio Scotland / Mentee under the guidance of Clare Duffy, 2012-2013.
Oxford Samuel Becket Theatre Trust Award (Baton / Stadium Rock) – Longlist.
Creative Scotland Vital Spark Award (The Marsmallow Test / Stadium Rock) – shortlist.
| Current | ||
|---|---|---|
| Production | Company | Notes |
| Title TBA | Dog Ears | Development work on an animated series. |
| CBeebies Prom | CBeebies | Writer for last year’s CBeebies Prom, ‘A Journey Into the Ocean‘, performed on Saturday 23rd July 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall. |
| Not the Autobiography of Xana Marwick | The Lyceum Theatre | Autobiographical, magical realist play about one girl’s journey into becoming a woman and the cyclical nature of abuse. Supported by Playwrights’ Studio Scotland. |
| Solidness | Drama mini series. Pilot episode and series bible written with support from BBC Writersroom Scotland. |
|
| Amy and Ariadne | New animation series in development with comedian and writer Phil O’Shea. |
|
| The Third Sister | Solar Bear | Touring theatre commission, due early 2023. |
| Thrown - a new musical | Imaginate / Accelerator Fund | Reading at the International Children’s Festival 2021, commissioned by Imaginate through the Accelerator Programme. |
| Television | ||
|---|---|---|
| Production | Company | Notes |
| Molly & Mack S5 (2022) | CBeebies | Episode ‘Jungle Dreams’. |
| What is Gutai? | Tate Kids | Short animation commission. |
| Becoming Cedric Morris | Tate Kids | Short animation commission. |
| Molly & Mack 3 & 4 (2020-2021) | CBeebies | Two episodes: |
| Molly & Mack 2 (2019) | CBeebies | 1 x 15′ episode, ‘Show and Tell’, for the live action kids show. |
| Molly & Mack (2018) | CBeebies | 1 x 15′ episode for the live action kids show. Currently available on BBC iPlayer. |
| Swashbuckle (2017) | CBeebies | Writing for the Cbeebies live action gameshow. |
| Something Special (2017) | CBeebies | Writing on the pre-school show aimed to help children develop communication and language skills. |
| Theatre | ||
|---|---|---|
| Production | Company | Notes |
| Mixed Up (2021) | Starcatchers | Dramaturgy on an interactive dance-film commissioned by the International Children’s Festival 2021. |
| Valentina's Galaxy (2019) | Frozen Charlotte Productions | Writing and dramaturgy for this production at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2019 and Edinburgh Fringe 2019, and shown as a screening at Big Dreamers Festival and North Wall Arts Centre. |
| Willow in the Window | Unicorn Theatre | A new play written with seed funding from the Unicorn Theatre and Imaginate. |
| Looking for Birds | Dancebase | Development residency with Dancebase creating a piece with a choreographer, a musician, a visual artist and three Boys. Supported by Imaginate. |
| Nests | Frozen Charlotte Productions & Stadium Rock | Play developed with Frozen Charlotte Production for a Scottish tour in Autumn 2018. NOMINATION: Best Production for Children and Young People at the 17th annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) |
| A Good Enough Girl? | Scene Change Productions & Greenwich Theatre & Nutshell Theatre | Original story, Edinburgh Fringe 2018. |
| Happy Harry's Café (2015-2016) | Birdsnest Theatre / Polka Theatre | A musical adaptation of the book by Michael Rosen and Richard Holland that played for four weeks at Polka Theatre. |
| My Friend Mole (2014-2015) | Birdsnest Theatre | Toured throughout England and Scotland. |
| Yellow Valley (2014) | Starcatchers / Culture 2014 Creative Programme | National tour of this play with songs adapted from the Kenyan book Who’s Calling by Charity Waciuma. |
| Hansel and Gretel (2011) | Alternative Christmas show |
|
| You Suffer, But Why? (2010-2014) | 8 minute solo/interactive/one-to-one performance inspired by the Napalm Death song of the same name played at Forest Fringe as part of Brian Lobel’s Cruising for Art, Buzzcut, Manipulate and Outskirts Festival. |
|
| Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Production | Company | Notes |
| The Moment When... I Lost Everything I Never Knew I Had (2019) | BBC Radio | |
| R3 Monologues: Six Weeks (2019) | BBC Radio 3 | Development commission. |
| Awards & Residencies | ||
|---|---|---|
One of 21 artists on a year long attachment to the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh for The Lyceum L20 NESTS shortlisted for Best Production for Children and Young People at the 17th annual Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) 2019 Named as a writer on the BBC New Talent Hotlist 2017. HUP (Director) nominated for Outstanding Children’s Production Canadian DORA Awards’ 2017. Invited to attend a three day development residental with BBC Writersroom, BBC Childrens and BBC Stay Safe exploring new drama ideas around social media / safety online. Selected to take part in a three-day-residential for writers of interest to BBC Scotland’s RIVER CITY. Invited to pitch ideas to BBC Scotland’s The Social, aiming to work towards a new, contemporary, female-led, online drama. BBC III / The Writersroom The Break III – shortlisted to development workshop stage. BBC Radio 3 / The Writersroom The Verb – opportunity to work as far as full draft script stage. BBC Writersroom / Dramaroom Attachment 2016 – only participant living in Scotland, selected from over 3100 applicants. Creative Scotland funded Artist-in-Residence at Summerhall 2013/2014. Writing NESTS with mentorship from Douglas Maxwell. Performed reading with actors David Mackay and Nicola Jo Cully. Playwrights’ Studio Scotland / Mentee under the guidance of Clare Duffy, 2012-2013. Oxford Samuel Becket Theatre Trust Award (Baton / Stadium Rock) – Longlist. Creative Scotland Vital Spark Award (The Marsmallow Test / Stadium Rock) – shortlist. |