Tom McGrath Trust
History of the
Tom McGrath Trust 2011-2021
The Tom McGrath Trust was set up to honour the life and legacy of Tom McGrath, poet, playwright and creative maverick, who died in 2009.
Inspired by Tom’s boundless generosity of spirit and his passion for supporting Scottish playwrights, the Trust aimed to be a source of inspiration, stimulation and support for artists seeking to develop their craft.
About
Purpose of the Trust
Tom’s work as Scottish Arts Council Literary Associate gave a new generation of Scottish playwrights encouragement and support. He subsequently became Director Emeritus of Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland, which he was instrumental in creating. His home, Ash Villa, where he lived with his partner Ella Wildridge for twenty years, was always a welcoming, supportive and stimulating place for artists to meet, talk, work and create. It was Tom’s wish for this legacy to continue.
The Tom McGrath Trust offered support to playwrights and translators working in Scotland. The Trust aimed to stimulate the development of new writing and supported Scottish and international playwrights and translators through a programme of residencies, dramaturgical support, small grants and professional development opportunities.
From 2011 to 2021, the Trust gave 80 awards to artists and dispersed over £34,725. This enabled an impressive amount of new writing projects to be seeded and developed with some of Scotland’s most interesting and curious playwrights at early stages in their careers.
Supported Writers:
Alan Gillespie; Alan McKendrick; Andrew Edwards; Andy Cannon; Andy McGregor; Angus Reid; Audrey Grant and Mary Paulson-Ellis; Belle Jones; Bibo Keeley; Caitlin Skinner/The Pub Theatre; Catherine Grosvenor; Cathy Forde; Clare Duffy; Clare Prenton; Effie Samara; Ellie Stewart; Elspeth Turner; Eszter Marsalko; Eve Nicol; Frances Poet; Hannah Lavery; Heather Marshall; Heloise Thual; Jack Dickson; James Ley; Jen McGregor; Jenna Watt; Jenny Knotts; Jessica Phillippi; Jo Lennie; Jodie Marshall; Jules Horne; Julia Taudevin; Julie Tsang; Kate Bowen; Katherine Mendelsohn; Katy McAulay; Keir McAllister; Keiran Lynn; Kolbrún Björt Sigfúsdóttir; Lauren Hendry; Leann O'Kasi; Lesley Anne Rose; Lesley Wilson; Lewis Hetherington; Lorraine McCann; Lynsey Murdock; Magi Gibson; Martin Chomsky; Martin McCormick; Martin O'Connor; Martyn Dempsey; Matthew Knights'; Michael Sherrin; Morna Young; Nalini Paul; Neil Cargill; Paul Coulter; Paul Vickers; Phil Baarda; Rebecca Sharp; Robyn Hunt; Ross Mackay; Samuel Keefe; Sandy Nelson; Sandy Thomson; Sara Shaarawi; Sarah Forrest; Selina Boyack; Shona Reppe; Steven Dick; Steven Fraser; Stewart Schiller; Suzy Maguire; Sylvia Dow; Tandem Writing Collective; Tom Moriarty
Thanks to generous donors and Friends of the Trust:
Morven McLean at Original Editions; Anne Brumfitt; Biddy Canard; Nicholas Bone; Drs H & M Morris; John and Zinnie Harris; Faith Liddell; Purni Morell; Wendy Niblock; James and Marianne Robertson; Fiona Sturgeon Shea; Anita Wilson, Catherine Murtagh and everyone who offered their support. Thanks also to Trustees Lucy Mason and Alice McGrath.
The founding supporters of the Tom McGrath Trust were:
National Theatre of Scotland, Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland and generous anonymous donors.
About Tom McGrath (1940 – 2009)
Explorer, Playwright, Poet, Jazz Pianist, Creative Maverick and Visionary
Tom McGrath was born and grew up in Glasgow. His early influences included the slapstick comedy of the music halls, and later, American beat literature and music.
Tom went to London in the early 60s to take part in the emerging counter culture at the time, and by 1962 his first poems were published. In 1965 Tom participated in the first International Poetry Olympics at the Royal Albert Hall with Allen Ginsberg, and Gregory Corso amongst others, which became a legendary event. In 1966 Tom was asked to become the founder Editor of the seminal International Times. In the late 60s Tom returned, with his wife and children to his native Glasgow, and studied English and Drama at Glasgow University. It was here that he met fellow writers and collaborators, Tom Leonard and Alan Spence.
Tom was an accomplished musician, with a love of Jazz and blues. In 1972 he was asked to be the Musical Director for the Great Northern Welly Boot Show starring Billy Connelly. By 1973 Tom was appointed as the first artistic Director of the Third Eye Centre, Glasgow, which still exists as the CCA today. In 1976 Tom established himself as a playwright with Laurel and Hardy and began a long association with the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. In 1977 he worked with a newly released Jimmy Boyle on The Hard Man, which premiered at the Traverse before a run in London.
In the early 1980s Tom was instrumental in founding the Tron Theatre Club, later to become the Tron Theatre. In the late 1980s he became the Scottish Arts Council’s Associate Literary Director, based at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. It was here that Tom supported and nurtured a new generation of playwrights and poets, including David Harrower, David Greig, Douglas Maxwell and Zinnie Harris. Tom was also writing his own plays, many which were produced by the Lyceum, The Traverse and Tramway.
In 2004 Tom was instrumental in establishing Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland to continue his work supporting and inspiring the next generation of writers. He also continued to write, and in 2005 he wrote My Old Man for Magnetic North Theatre Company.
Tom lived with his partner Ella Wildridge in Kingskettle in Fife. He had 4 daughters and 5 grandchildren.
The Tom McGrath Writers' Room
A dedicated space for playwrights
In November 2011, Playwrights’ Studio acquired an additional working space with desks to let to writers. The space is situated on the Cultural Tenants floor of the CCA, two doors down from the main office.
Back in January 2012, when putting together their Creative Scotland submission, they found themselves going back to some of the original ideas of what Playwrights’ Studio should offer to playwrights. One of these was “Space for development work” so the Writers’ Room, in a small way, serves this need.
Given Tom’s tireless work to get Playwrights’ Studio established, staff approached the Tom McGrath Trust who gave their permission to rename the space after Tom as an acknowledgment of his contribution. The room was renamed The Tom McGrath Writers’ Room in March 2013, forty years after Tom had been appointed as Artistic Director of the Third Eye Centre.