Jane Upton

First Year Juniors, Long Eaton, 1987. Kylie's about to hit number one, and Jess meets Billy for the first time. There's conflict, competition and mutual intrigue, but they quickly become inseparable: proper soulmates – the kind who finish each other's sentences and overshare about first kisses. As they pursue different paths, him in the big city, her in their fading hometown, they can't escape the pull of their friendship – or the arguments and jealousy that come with it. Following them across the decades – from making mixtapes and endless summers, to the chaos of parenthood, Scenes from a Friendship is a warm, funny, and deeply felt look at the bond you share with the person who's shaped your life, who knows all your flaws but loves you regardless. Jane Upton's play is premiered at Nottingham Playhouse in 2026.

M is a writer. M is a mother. M is a woman. The triumph of M's hit play is hijacked by motherhood. She is burnt out, angry, lonely, craving intimacy but disengaged, and terrified of the future. She wants to tell her story, her way. But everyone keeps giving her their opinions on who she is, who she ought to be, and how she's fucking everything up. Fiercely funny and brutally honest, Jane Upton's play (the) Woman shatters the glossy veneer of motherhood, exposing its raw, messy truth and what happens when a woman dares to question the definition of (her)self. It was shortlisted for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting, and first performed by New Perspectives on tour of the UK in 2025.

‘I know you want what everyone else wants. A family. A home. But you’ll never have it. Cos of what’s inside you.’ Joanne and Lisa were like sisters. Then Lisa left. Now they’re back together for one last birthday party by the railway tracks. But can they salvage their friendship, or will ghosts of the past haunt them forever? Poignant, moving and darkly funny, All the Little Lights is the searing story of young girls slipping through the cracks in society, desperately searching for friendship, family and themselves. In a world where nobody wants you, what would you do to survive? Jane Upton's All the Little Lights was joint winner of the 2016 George Devine Award for Most Promising Playwright, and was nominated for Best Play at the 2017 Writers’ Guild Awards. Produced by Fifth Word, and written with support from charity Safe & Sound, the play toured the UK in 2017, following a successful run in 2015.