As Varsity reported last week, since the current Camdram records began, only seven of Cambridge’s most-performed 81 plays have been written by women. Seven. The statistic is perhaps unsurprising, and one might question why it is relevant to new writing (after all, few recent plays feature in that top 81), but it is indicative of a wider problem in theatre more generally. In one review of London 2017 theatre programming, for example, it was found that female playwrights made up only a third of the National Theatre’s 21-show programme, and only one made it onto their main stage. Meanwhile, the Old Vic programmed a grand total of zero female writers, despite having five runs throughout the year.

This is not to mention non-binary or transgender writers, or to address the added difficulty experienced by people of colour. The problem is that even if people who are not white men write plays, they often struggle to find a platform. That was something Carine Valarché and Kate Collins, the organisers of Mark My Words: A Night of New Writing, wanted to address. Their frustration with the male domination in the industry inspired them to put on an event at which female, non-binary, and trans male writers could find a space to make their voices heard.

Mark My Words is about providing a platform for these voices. But it is equally important to define what it is not: it is not about grouping off writers from marginalised-gender groups, suggesting that their experiences are equivalent, or even necessarily telling stories specific to these gender identities. Valarché describes seeing Scene at the Edinburgh Fringe as a “penny-drop moment” in which she realised that the story moved her precisely because the voices felt genuine, rather than filtered through a male pen. The potency of the pieces in Mark My Words comes from their writers’ genuine voices, and the organisers feel that there is certainly an audience for these voices and the stories they have to tell.

The team have a pretty radical vision of challenging normalised methods of responding to theatre.

This is a night designed to celebrate female, non-binary, and trans male writing talent, and to give that talent a space in which to develop. As part of this, each of the scripts performed will have already received voluntary feedback from three professional female playwrights: Becky Prestwich, Serafina Cusack, and Afshan D’souza-Lodhi. Between them, these playwrights have an impressive range of professional experience across a variety of genres and a range of styles within their own scriptwriting. It was important to the organisers that the student playwrights received a range of different feedback, because ultimately any response is individual, and hearing a variety of reactions allows writers to select what is most useful to them in developing their work. The audience will also be invited to give feedback on the night, but in a manner considerate of the fact that these are new pieces, not necessarily polished ones – and that the writing, not the acting, is what is being showcased.

The playwrights taking part in Mark My Words are Maya Yousif, Olivia Gillman, Alannah Lewis, Phoebe Segal, Jenny O'Sullivan – names you might have come across acting on or writing for the Cambridge stage before, but this event provides them with a space of their own and comes with a more nurturing ethos towards up-and-coming talent. Five directors are also involved, meaning that the evening will platform a range of different perspectives and styles.

Even once programmed, it can be a struggle for new writers to sell tickets because of the stigma and scepticism which persists around new writing, in contrast to the ‘tried and tested’. It is this scepticism which the organisers are keen to overcome, creating a space which embraces newness. Valarché and Collins are working hard to encourage and appreciate the writers taking part, placing more emphasis on future potential than on creating a final product.

“The first question that is asked when you go and see a play is ‘was it good?’,” Collins explains, “and why should we have to decide that? Who says what ‘good’ is?” Rather, the organisers want this to be a night to kick-start conversations about how the audience experience the pieces, examining their thoughts and feelings rather than any objective notion of success. It is these kinds of discussions which are often more interesting and exciting. The team have a pretty radical vision, then, of challenging normalised methods of responding to theatre, prioritising thought and reflection over reaching some kind of final judgement.

Mark My Words is on at Newnham Old Labs on 17 February, and is part of the FNTM Arts Festival 2018