Eugene O'Hare wins inaugural Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy

Playwright Eugene O’Hare has won Birmingham Rep’s inaugural Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy.

O’Hare won for his play Portugal. He takes home a £10,000 funded commission by the Victoria Wood Foundation, and an award of £15,000 prize money.

Conceived by the Rep’s double Olivier award-winning artistic director, Sean Foley, it is the first ever significant playwriting prize dedicated to the art of comedy.

O’Hare said: "I am very surprised and overwhelmed to receive this incredible and generous award. It is especially meaningful post-Covid when playwrights are struggling more than before to even get their work read. Owning something associated with Victoria’s name is very meaningful to me and I will treasure it."

Foley added: "I am thrilled that the inaugural Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize for Comedy had so many brilliant entries: the task of finding our first winner among the very many styles of comedy, the hundreds of extraordinary plots, characters and situations, was not easy. But the judging panel felt that Eugene O’Hare’s Portugal – a brilliantly funny play about taking ownership at your one shot at life, no matter who you upset along the way – had compelling, relatable characters, superbly funny Belfast-tinged dialogue, and a great situation that was often painfully hilarious.

"I could not be prouder to have created this prize in conjunction with the Rep, the Victoria Wood Foundation, and with the sponsorship of BBC Comedy, and I am delighted that we have such a fantastic first winner."

Siobhan McSweeney, a member of the judging panel, described the play as "a perfect example of how comedy as a genre can deal with all the big philosophical questions about the human condition".

Special commendations went to Goodbye Suzzie Jenkins by Ben Callon, Fake Melania by Poppy Corbett, Reach for the Stars by Jenny Knotts and Sidekicked by Patrick Maguire.