Amy Trigg

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Amy Trigg (born in 1992) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for the role of Agnes in The Little Big Things, for which she won the Olivier Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a musical in 2024.

Contents

Early life and education

Trigg was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. She grew up in Witham, Essex [1] and loved theatre from a very young age. [2]

She trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, graduating in 2013, [3] and was the first wheelchair user to graduate from a performance course at the academy. [4]

Acting career

Trigg's first role was Laura in The Glass Menagerie at Nottingham Playhouse in 2016. Her casting in this role was part of a project called Ramps on the Moon, funded by the Arts Council and aimed at highlighting disabled artists and performers. [5] Trigg was also cast as Sally in The Who's Tommy in 2017, part of the same Art Council's project and touring across the UK the same year. [6]

She was part of the 2019 Royal Shakespeare Company season in the roles of Juliet in Measure for Measure and Biondella in The Taming of the Shrew. [7] In an interview with the RSC she highlighted the importance of representation for audiences, as "it's still uncommon to have wheelchair-using actors onstage". [8] During her time with the RSC she also wrote a regular blog as part of the Whispers from the Wings series, where she shares her experience, as well as chat with fellow cast members. [9]

In July 2023 full cast for the musical The Little Big Things was announced, with Trigg joining in the role of Agnes. The show is based on the best-selling memoir of Henry Fraser of the same name. [10] Trigg won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for this role in 2024, becoming the first disabled actor to win in this category (and only second to win an Olivier Award). [11] The musical was added to the streaming platform "National Theatre at home" in April 2024, after its extended run and closure in March of the same year. [12]

Theatre

YearTitleRoleTheatre
2016 The Glass Menagerie Laura Nottingham Playhouse
2017 The Who's Tommy Sally SimpsonUK Tour
2019 Measure for Measure Juliet Marlowe Theatre
2019 The Taming of the Shrew BiondellaMarlowe Theatre
2020 - 2021Reasons You Should(n't) Love MeJunotour and Kiln Theatre
2024 The Little Big Things Agnes @sohoplace

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2018 Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again performer
2019 RSC Measure for Measure Juliet
2020 Unprecedented EloiseTV series (1 episode)
2020 The Banishing Agnes Peerless
2021 Feel Good FanTV series (1 episode)
2022 Casualty Louise FletcherTV series (1 episode)
2022 The Other One Pension Office WomanTV series (2 episodes)
2023 Luther: the Fallen Sun Bullpen Tech Netflix movie
2023 Unforgotten Sheila Hussay BrentonTV series (1 episode)
2023 Everything Now Miss LambertTV series (4 episodes)
2023 The Reckoning LibbyTV series (1 episode)
2023 Such Brave Girls ClaireTV series (2 episodes)
2024 Father Brown Shirley WarnerTV series (1 episode)

Writing career

Trigg started focusing on writing after graduating because of a lack of jobs and accessibility for wheelchair users in theatre, as well as performing comedy shows. She was then approached by writer Scarlett Curtis to contribute to the book Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and Other Lies), to which big names also contributed, such as Keira Knightley and Gemma Arterton. [13]

In 2020 Trigg was the joint recipient of the first Women's Prize for Playwriting for her full-length play Reasons You Should(n't) Love Me. [14] Her work centers on a disabled young woman, Juno, and is meant to be performed by an actor using a wheelchair. [15]

Trigg is one of the writers for the British TV series Ralph & Katie (a spin off of the BBC1/ITV Studios show The A Word ). [16]

She has been part of various writing programmes from the BBC TV Drama Writers' Programme (2021), 4Screenwriting (2021), BBC Drama Room (2020/21), BBC Writers' Access Group (2020/21), the Royal Court Introduction to Playwriting Group (2020/21) and BBC Children's New Voices (2020). [4]

Personal life

Trigg got engaged to actor Jordan Benjamin in Frinton-on-Sea in 2024. The two met rehearsing for the musical The Little Big Things. [17]

Awards and nominations

YearWorkAwardCategoryResult
2016The Rebrand Colchester New Comedian of the YearWon
2020Reasons You Should(n't) Love MeWomen's Prize for Playwritingn/aWon
2024 The Little Big Things Whatsonstage Awards Best Supporting Performer in a MusicalNominated
2024The Little Big Things Olivier Awards Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Won

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References

  1. ↑ "Disabled actor from Essex 'never thought' Olivier award win would happen". BBC News. 2024-04-18. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  2. ↑ "How to be an Actor with Amy Trigg". Get into Theatre. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  3. ↑ "Actor and writer Amy Trigg brings her award-winning debut play to The Studio" . Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  4. 1 2 Associates, Casarotto Ramsay &. "Amy Trigg". Casarotto Ramsay & Associates. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  5. ↑ "Theatre review: The Glass Menagerie at Nottingham Playhouse". British Theatre Guide. 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  6. ↑ "Tommy". www.stratfordeast.com. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  7. ↑ "From tech to press | Whispers from the Wings | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  8. ↑ "Amy Trigg | Pathways to Shakespeare | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  9. ↑ "The Understudy Club, Part 1 | Whispers from the Wings | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  10. ↑ "Full cast announced for The Little Big Things musical in the West End". 2023-07-07. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  11. ↑ Editor (2024-04-14). "Amy Trigg becomes First Disabled Winner of Best Supporting Actress in a Musical". Forge Press. Retrieved 2024-09-24.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ↑ "The Little Big Things musical and more to be streamed on National Theatre at Home". 2024-04-12. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  13. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (2021-02-17). "Amy Trigg: a born performer with sci-fi dreams and a dizzying range". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  14. ↑ "2020 Winners - The Women's Prize for Playwriting". 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  15. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (2020-12-01). "First Women's Prize for Playwriting awarded to two winners". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  16. ↑ "Ralph and Katie: Meet the cast, creator and writers of the new drama". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
  17. ↑ "West End star Amy Trigg gets engaged to Jordan Benjamin". BBC News. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2024-09-24.
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