Biography

Gowan Calder is an actress, director and writer based in Scotland. She began her writing career as a playwright but has more recently been working on an interactive graphic novel with the artist, Jill Calder, on the subject of Sectarianism (due to be published by The Scotttish Book Trust in November 2014) Her previous work with the SBT, Skint, was also an interactive, graphic novel style exploration of money issues for young people and was published in 2011 with a revised edition re-published in 2013. She has also written for stage and radio including; Bang Bang Your Dead, dramatisation of Muriel Spark's short story broadcast on 'Women's Hour' BBC Radio 4 (Dir. David Ian Neville) Truth Conquers All, produced byWest Lothian Youth Theatre, Linlithgow Palace (Dir. Michael Richardson) Days of War and Rosie, produced by A Play, a Pie and a Pint Oran Mor, Glasgow. (Dir. Liz Carruthers) Mrs McAulay is Carried Forward, broadcast on 'Woman's Hour' , BBC Radio 4. (Dir: Lu Kemp) Nude, Untitled, Afternoon Play, broadcast on BBC Radio Four.(Dir: Lu Kemp) Backstage at the Pussy-Kat Klub, premiered at The Arches as part of 'Glasgay' (Directed by Estelle van Warmelo, Courtyard Theatre, Hereford) An Audience with the Lizard Lady, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (Directed by Bonita Beach, Senga Theatre Co.) Gowan has been a Writer-In-Residence in HMP Glenochil (2008-2009) and has run a variety of playwriting workshops within the Scottish Prison Service as well as for West Lothian Youth Theatre and other youth drama and adult writers' groups. She was the Visiting Lecturer in Playwriting at Queen Margaret University between 2009 and 2011 and has also worked there with directing and acting students. Gowan divides her time between her writing and her parallel career a performer and director.