Supernova: Spark to Stage

Alfie O’Sullivan Neill is the playwright behind Supernova, a new work inspired by his time delivering our Drilling Diamonds programme in Newham secondary schools. Recently, we sat down with Alfie to talk about inspirations, writing and his connection to Playing ON…

Playwright Alfie O’Sullivan Neill writes with urgency, empathy, and a deep connection to the young people whose stories are so often misunderstood. In this interview, he reflects on his journey from spoken word poetry to playwriting, his work with Playing ON in Newham secondary schools, and how those experiences, alongside his own time in the education system, shaped Supernova. At the heart of the play are Aaron and Lyra, two young people navigating exclusion, identity, and survival within a system stacked against them. Alfie speaks candidly about process, purpose, and what it means to tell stories that allow young people to be seen before they’re judged.

What inspired you to write this play?

Supernova came from the work I was already doing with Playing ON, we have a programme called Drilling Diamonds, we went into secondary schools in Newham and we worked with young people (year 9s) and introduced them to theatre and expressing themselves in different ways. Some of these young people are at risk of exclusion or had some behavioural difficulties and so I saw how they navigated the school system, and they inspired that [Supernova] and also my own journey through secondary school inspired the writing of this play.

What is your role within Playing On?

Playing On have been a huge supporter of mine as a creative, I am one of their Associates so I am able to facilitate their programmes. They first found me when I auditioned for the R&D of the play By Lin Coghlan, Flock and I was able to then go on the Playing On Word’s Programme, which is a writer’s programme, like a mentorship which Lin then facilitated, and really taught me a lot about the art of playwriting, and since then I’ve been connected with the company.

What has your writing journey been like?

My writing journey began with poetry; I was writing a lot of Spoken Word about different social and political issues that were really important to me like Grenfell Tower and how we navigate lives when you haven’t got any money, and what comes with that and being raised in a Council Estate, and what we had to navigate. I started to find a love for playwriting, I love reading plays, and I started to write longer form dialogue and so I was really fortunate to work in Hampstead Theatre on their ‘Inspire Programme’, The Bush Theatre have been real champions of mine, and The Lyric, Hammersmith where I’ve been able to perform my own work which is really exciting. And of course, Playing ON Words, and now from that this is now that play in development and so I’m really excited for what’s to come, and to make my mark as a playwright.

What is Supernova?

Supernova is looking at the school system currently, secondary schools, and these two young people have to navigate coming back into mainstream school after being excluded. They feel like they’re going to war. And also there’s a war with themselves, their language is violence and being angry. Two young people, victims of their circumstance come together, Aaron and Lyra, they find themselves and find each other through this struggle.

What are you most excited about for Supernova?

I am so excited about meeting Aaron and Lyra and seeing them come to life. The odds are against them when we meet them and they are victims of their circumstances; coming back into the mainstream school system after being excluded, we are just seeing them at the tethers of understanding how they communicate and articulate themselves.

As this conversation shows, Supernova is a piece brimming with momentum and possibility, and the prospect of seeing it take physical shape on stage feels genuinely electric. There’s something powerful about watching a story forged from lived experience step into the spotlight, meeting its audience in real time. This is very much a play to be experienced live, so keep an eye out for performance dates and ticket announcements — it’s one you won’t want to miss.