Caryl Churchill (playwright)

Born in London in 1938, Caryl Churchill grew up in the UK and in Montreal, Canada. She studied English at Oxford University, and her first play, Downstairs, was written and staged in 1958 while she was still at university. In the 1970s Churchill produced short radio plays, and moved to theatre in the early 1970s. Caryl Churchill is widely recognized as the UK’s leading female dramatist. Her plays are politically focused and show strong views on fortune, exploitation, and women’s rights. Her own experience as a middle class wife and mother gives her insight into her characters and allows her to knowledgably write about feminism and the impact of gender inequality on women like her.