Pat Coghlan

MA Drama Writing Student


Biography

Pat Coghlan is a model, skateboarder and writer from East London. His work sets out to skewer and dismantle the conventions of masculinity by blending the comic and the tragic. After finishing school as a drama scholar, Pat moved out of London to attend the University of Bristol. In his first year he participated in Tobacco Factory Theatres’ writing scheme, which resulted in the writing and performance of his short play Good Grief, an exploration of grief, mental health and suicide from a teenage perspective.

He worked consistently throughout university with Spotlights New Writing Society which produced a number of his short plays. A working title was performed at the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft in their New Writing Festival. In his final year, Pat became their writing representative and had his first full-length play A Laughing Matter performed in the Pegg Studio Theatre, which established his ability to write theatre that brings audiences to both laughter and tears.

After university he wrote a series of short web sketches produced under the name ‘something like that productions’, which explored an absurd and surreal comedic style. It’s an approach to screenwriting that Pat has also developed at the Theatre School by writing a pilot draft of the mockumentary sitcom Snookered, and the short film A Weekend in Burnley.

One of my favourite parts about BOVTS is that it feels ‘homegrown’. From the set to the costume, lighting, acting and sound, every single aspect of a theatre production or film is down to the students. The location of Clifton is so serene and the School being so small everyone knows each other and it feels so personal and special. Violet Morris, BA Professional Acting Student