Jack Thorne Wins WGGB Outstanding Contribution to Writing Award

by · February 28, 2022

Jack Thorne, the playwright for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has had a busy month. He was recognized at the 29th Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards (WGGBAs), he served as a judge for the Hearts for the Arts Awards, and his adaptation of Charles Dickens’s novel A Christmas Carol brought in a massive donation for the food waste charity FareShare at London’s Old Vic.

At the WGGBAs, Thorne was presented the trophy for Outstanding Contribution to Writing by Jane Tranter, an executive producer of His Dark Materials and the cofounder of British television production company Bad Wolf. Thorne was extremely grateful for such an honor.

I think all writers would say that being given something from other writers is the greatest honor. I don’t think I’ve really contributed anything much in this strange career, and writing is a really strange job, but I’m grateful, and slightly anxious, to now have this award to live up to.

 

 

On March 7, a virtual ceremony will take place for the Hearts for the Arts Awards. Nominations were received from all across the United Kingdom for three award categories, including Best Arts Project, Best Arts Champion – Local Authority or Cultural Trust Worker, and Best Arts Champion – Councillor. Thorne was one of the eight judges of prestigious profiles in the arts.

During the holiday season, the Old Vic presented Thorne’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol for the fifth year in a row. At the end of each performance, the audience was inspired to donate to a bucket collection for a local charity. The chosen cause for 2021 was the hunger and food waste charity FareShare, for which patrons donated a total of £137,476, setting a record for the highest amount raised in person in the event’s history. The executive director of the theater, Kate Varah, described the humbling experience of the support:

Each year, the Old Vic’s magical production of A Christmas Carol partners with a charity, and our audiences donate in support at the end of the production. The incredible generosity is always humbling and a testament to the extraordinary impact of the production on each person who shares in this timeless story of redemption and community spirit.

If you missed out on Thorne’s adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 2021, it will return in November 2022. Perhaps he’ll share the magical quill he’s using to pen such wonderful works.

 

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