‘A MUSTARD SEED FROM A HOUSE UNTOUCHED BY DEATH’ BY MAE DIANSANGU
Applications are now open to take part in A Mustard Seed from a House Untouched by Death by Mae Diansangu which will debut a work-in-progress performance at WayWORD Festival 2026. We’re looking for three writer-performers to create a five minute extract of new writing in response to a brief that will be performed as part of the play on Sunday 11th October at Cowdray Hall.
Play and Project
A grieving woman, desperate to undo death, learns of a cure to revive her loved ones. First, she must source the remedy’s main ingredient: a mustard seed from a household untouched by death. Blending storytelling, poetry and song, A Mustard Seed From A House Untouched By Death, tells the transformative journey of a woman tasked with completing the impossible. This retelling of a Buddhist parable weaves together seemingly disparate stories, revealing how we are all bound together by the shared inevitabilities of loss and hope.
Following a development period over summer 2026, A Mustard Seed from a House Untouched by Death will debut with a work-in-progress performance at the iconic Cowdray Hall as the closing event of WayWORD Festival 2026. Taking advantage of the venue’s stunning architecture and acoustics, this intimate performance will allow audiences to experience the hall in an unusual lay-out accompanied by both live music and visual theatre.
Creative Team
The play is written by Mae Diansangu and directed by Annabel Lunney, with dramaturgical support from Jenna Watt. This project is funded by Creative Scotland and WayWORD Festival, with support from Aberdeen Art Galleries and Museums.
Mae Diansangu – Writer/Performer
Mae Diansangu is a writer from Aberdeen. She has performed at literary festivals across Scotland and appeared on BBC Television and Radio. Her debut poetry collection Bloodsongs was longlisted for the Saltire Award and her series of poems “black lives, heavy truths” is part of the National Library of Scotland’s collection. Mae made her playwriting debut as a co-writer on A Play for Torry in January which inspired her to write more for theatre.
Annabel Lunney – Director/Producer
Annabel is a theatremaker, director and dramaturg from Aberdeen whose practice focuses on stories and artists from outwith the central belt, and how opportunity can be distributed more widely across Scotland. Annabel currently works as Associate Producer with Light the Blue Festival and is an Associate Artist with Ten Feet Tall Theatre. Recent projects include Assistant Director on Kenmure Street with A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Associate Director on A Play For Torry, Community Engagement Intern with Tortoise in a Nutshell and freelance projects with Traverse Theatre, Aberdeen Performing Arts, Eden Court, V&A Dundee, Scottish Youth Theatre and WayWORD Festival.
Jenna Watt – Dramaturg
Jenna Watt is a multi award-winning Scottish theatre maker, director, dramaturg and playwright. Her works include Tetra-Decathlon, Faslane, How You Gonna Live Your Dash, and Flâneurs. A previous recipient of a Playwrights’ Studio Scotland Play Bursary, Jenna also works as a mentor and affiliate tutor at the University of Glasgow, supporting emerging voices in theatre and performance. Jenna is currently Associate Reader for Playwright’s Studio Scotland.
Call-Out for Writer-Performers
Through an attached creative engagement project, A Mustard Seed from a House Untouched by Death will weave together Mae’s words with original storytelling extracts from three local writer-performers who will each build the worlds of the households the woman visits across her journey.
The call-out is now live to apply to be part of this project. We’re looking for three artists to join the project who will each be responsible for writing and performing a five minute extract of text that represents one of the households. This can be in any form for example; dramatic monologue, spoken word, narrative poetry. Ultimately, the woman doesn’t find a mustard seed from a house untouched by death in the places she visits, so we’re looking for writers to create a piece which explores how those living in each household have been impacted by loss and grief.
Find full details and apply via: https://waywordfestival.com/mustard-seed-call-out/
WayWORD Festival 