In conversation with… playwright Jessica Norman

11/09/2025

UKAHT’s digital producer Jessica Norman talks conspiracy theories, creativity and Antarctica in her bold new play, inspired by Flat Earthers and Antarctica.

Jessica Norman is an award-winning writer and producer. She has over 10 years' experience creating innovative programmes for some of the UK's leading arts organisations, including The Old Vic Theatre, where she developed new plays and produced talks and performances which reached over 30,000 people. 

As a writer, her plays include This Little Earth, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting and shortlisted for Originals Playwriting Award. Other plays include Wilding (shortlisted for the Papatango Prize) and Vitriol (Theatre 503 International Award Longlist). 

For UKAHT, Jessica produces digital content, including our acclaimed podcast A Voyage to Antarctica and our series of webinars, Antarctica In Sight Live! We caught up with Jessica to talk about her her bold, funny and thought-provoking new play; the challenges of getting the project off the ground; and how she deals with the inevitable rejection that comes with writing.

What first drew you to writing – was it theatre, film or something else entirely?

I didn’t always want to be a writer, actually, the opposite. My dad’s a writer, and while his job always looked glamorous to other people, I was very aware of the reality of choosing it as a career – long days agonising over sentences and lots of time spent on your own. But I don’t think you become a writer; it sort of finds you, and (fortunately or unfortunately for me), it did. 

I’ve always loved stories and experiencing stories. As a child, I watched a lot of television (everything from EastEnders to The Wire), so I think that may have been my way in. Then I went to the theatre for the first time, where I got completely hooked on live performance as a storytelling medium. When it’s done well, there is really nothing like watching a story unfold in real time, with amazing actors staging it in front of you. 

Jessica's work covers a wide range of disciplines (Johan Persson)

But I always thought I wanted to be an actor. I did a lot of acting at school and university, then spent some time working as a producer in the West End. But one day the penny dropped that I was actually a writer and that I’d been writing the whole time – collecting ideas and scraps of dialogue in notebooks and on my phone. So with some encouragement from friends and colleagues, I took the plunge and wrote my first play. When it got some good feedback and was shortlisted for some prizes, I kept going.

Your work covers a wide range of disciplines, including stage, screen and podcasts. Do you have a particular medium you like the most?

I remember the playwright Lucy Prebble saying that playwriting is a really tough workout for a writer because you’re watching people experiencing your work in front of your eyes, and the audience’s reaction will tell you immediately what’s working, what’s funny, what’s boring… There is absolutely no hiding, and sometimes it can be very brutal. But I also think it’s where you learn the most. 

Theatre writing is much more collaborative than other kinds of writing. You work really closely with a highly skilled group of artists to bring your work to life, which is incredibly fun and exciting and also very alluring for someone who – otherwise – spends a lot of time in their own head. 

That said, I’ve always enjoyed juggling lots of different kinds of projects across different mediums, and I think different kinds of writing tests different writing muscles. Right now, I’m developing a few original TV series, writing a film, alongside my play, and not to forget my work for UKAHT. They all feed each other, and give me inspiration and energy. It’s also nice, when I’m struggling with one project, to be able to put it down and pick up another. 

Tell us about This Little Earth.

This Little Earth is my debut play. It follows Honey and Christopher, two Flat Earth conspiracy theorists who journey to Antarctica together to find the edge of the world. It explores the perils of living in a world where truth has been co-opted by powerful liars and the strange, and sometimes dangerous stories we create to make sense of the chaotic world around us. 

It’s an unconventional love story, but – as you might expect from a play set in Antarctica – it’s also a gripping adventure! It tackles some big themes, but like all my work, it’s also darkly, absurdly funny, entertaining and, ultimately, a very hopeful play. 

This Little Earth will be at London's Arcola Theatre

Why did you decide to focus on Flat Earthers? 

I first started thinking about the play around the time of Covid and of Trump’s first election. The world felt scary and increasingly polarised, and I was looking for an extreme belief to write about, which wouldn’t alienate members of the audience, so I settled on Flat Earth. 

There’s something completely absurd about believing a theory that has been disproved for thousands of years. But Flat Earth also speaks to a feeling that lots of people have, that there is something very wrong with the world around us and a very human desire to make sense of that. I wanted to ask: Does it matter that people believe the Earth is flat if it helps them through something difficult? What are the dangers of believing it?

I thought the play would become less relevant with time, but I read recently that Flat Earth is one of the most popular conspiracy theories among 11-18s (with climate change conspiracies following closely behind), so, if anything, the subject feels more relevant today than when I started out. 

I should say that I take Honey and Christopher and their beliefs very seriously. It’s not about laughing at them, but about understanding them and their worldview. Theatre is an empathy machine, and one of the challenges of writing the play, at a time when people are increasingly intolerant of each other’s beliefs, is to encourage audiences to understand them and to love them as much as I do, in spite of what they believe. 

This project has been in the pipeline for some time. Tell us about some of the challenges you’ve encountered along the way.

This Little Earth is actually the project that first brought me to UKAHT. I started researching Antarctica, and - like many before me - I became obsessed. A brilliant producer I’d met called Sud Basu was curating the ‘Antarctica In Sight’ programme and brought me on board to produce some talks and events – and the rest is history. 

Covid was a big challenge because I’d just left a stable full-time job to focus on writing, and suddenly all the theatres closed, and I wasn’t sure if the play would ever see the light of day. But I found writing it to be really helpful escapism, and I loved the opportunity it gave me to be transported to Antarctica every day. 

Jessica on stage with Dr Jane Goodall at The Old Vic (Manuel Harlan)

That was also when I began producing UKAHT’s A Voyage to Antarctica podcast, which continues to be a huge source of inspiration for me. With our host Alok Jha, I’ve had the opportunity to speak to an incredible range of world-leading experts on Antarctica, from climate scientists to writers, artists and record-breaking explorers. It has given me a breadth and depth of knowledge that I would never have had otherwise.

Another big challenge I’m anticipating is conjuring up a sense of the expansiveness of being in Antarctica within the studio space at Arcola Theatre. But luckily, that’ll be up to my amazing director and creative team, and I know they’ll do a fantastic job.

How do you cope with the inevitable rejections and setbacks that come with writing for performance?

Rejection is a really tough part of the profession, but it’s also an inevitable part of putting yourself and your work out there. I didn’t write for a long time because I was scared of failing – but now I try to see failing and rejection as a badge of honour, because it means I tried, and increasingly, that I was a contender for something exciting 

It never gets easier. Some rejections definitely sting worse than others. My advice: allow yourself to mourn the ones that really hurt. Go do something nice (for me, it’s going for a swim, seeing friends, going to an art gallery) – anything to remind yourself that the world is much bigger than you. I also have a file on my computer, where I store emails and positive feedback, which I read when I need a little lift. 

What’s it like to see actors and directors reinterpret your work – does it ever surprise you?

It’s completely magical to see actors taking my words and bringing them to life. I’m always in awe of their skills. They make my work better!

It’s also brilliant working with a creative team, because suddenly something I’ve been working on on my own has the benefit of multiple imaginations. Surprising is definitely the right word, because they see ideas in my writing that I often didn’t even notice were there. I’ve also found the process of collaboration on the script really helpful to figure out exactly what I want to say. 

What's next for you?

I’d really love to go to Antarctica, so if anyone is reading this and planning an artists’ residency there, please get in touch! Otherwise, I’m focusing on my TV commissions. I also started a novel last year, which I really need to redraft! But one thing at a time… 

What’s your favourite episode of A Voyage To Antarctica? 

Hard to pick – but I love our interview with volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer. He’s an incredible mix of scientist and artist. I find the way he interprets and makes sense of the world around us – both through his writing and through his scientific investigations – incredibly inspiring. 

What luxury item would you take if you were working at Port Lockroy for the season?

This could be food, a specific book, a memento or a trinket. Try to avoid obvious items like your phone. Port Lockroy is the world’s southernmost post office. We send a small team to work down there for five months during the austral summer.

A great question. I love sketching and I think - even as a writer - I’d struggle to put the experience of being in Antarctica and the scale and beauty of it all into words. So I think I’d take a sketchbook and some artist materials to try and capture my experiences visually, on paper.

Finally, what’s your favourite species of penguin?

The Fiordland Penguin is my favourite species of penguin. It holds a special place in my heart because it’s the only penguin I’ve ever seen in the wild (on a trip to New Zealand). They’re also incredibly rare, and I remember Ruth Peacey, who we interviewed in Season 1 of A Voyage to Antarctica, being very jealous that I managed to see one. 

Jessica in New Zealand (Jessica Norman)

But the Emperor penguin is endlessly iconic. It also plays an important role in This Little Earth  – but that’s all I can say, so you’d better book your tickets now if you want to know more…

Book tickets to Jessica's upcoming play, This Little Earth, here. UKAHT followers can get an exclusive 10% off ticket prices. Just use the code TRUST10 at checkout.