Amy Trigg (born in 1992) is a British actress and writer. She is best known for the role of Agnes in ''The Little Big Things'', for which she won the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of West End Theatre Aw ...

as Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a musical in 2024.

Early life and education

Trigg was born with

spina bifida Spina bifida (SB; ; Latin for 'split spine') is a birth defect in which there is incomplete closing of the vertebral column, spine and the meninges, membranes around the spinal cord during embryonic development, early development in pregnancy. T ...

and uses a wheelchair. She grew up in Witham, Essex and loved theatre from a very young age. She trained at

Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, formerly Mountview Theatre School, is a drama school in Peckham, south London, England, founded in 1945. Mountview Academy provides specialist vocational training in acting, musical theatre and actor musicians ...

, graduating in 2013, and was the first wheelchair user to graduate from a performance course at the academy.

Acting career

Trigg's first role was Laura in ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...

'' at

Nottingham Playhouse Nottingham Playhouse is a theatre in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England. It was first established as a repertory theatre in 1948 when it operated from a former cinema in Goldsmith Street. Directors during this period included Val May and F ...

in 2016. Her casting in this role was part of a project called ''Ramps on the Moon'', funded by the

Arts Council An arts council is a government or private non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts; mainly by funding local artists, awarding prizes, and organizing arts events. They often operate at arms-length from the government to prevent pol ...

and aimed at highlighting disabled artists and performers. Trigg was also cast as Sally in ''

The Who's Tommy ''The Who's Tommy'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera '' Tommy'' by The Who. Productions The musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Di ...

'' in 2017, part of the same Art Council's project and touring across the UK the same year. She was part of the 2019

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

season in the roles of Juliet in ''

Measure for Measure ''Measure for Measure'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1603 or 1604 and first performed in 1604. It was published in the First Folio of 1623. The play centers on the despotic and puritan Angelo (Measure for ...

'' and Biondella in ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

.'' In an interview with the RSC she highlighted the importance of representation for audiences, as "it's still uncommon to have wheelchair-using actors onstage"''.'' During her time with the RSC she also wrote a regular blog as part of the ''Whispers from the Wings'' series, where she shares her experience, as well as chat with fellow cast members. In July 2023 full cast for the musical ''The Little Big Things'' was announced, with Trigg joining in the role of Agnes. The show is based on the best-selling memoir of Henry Fraser of the same name. Trigg won the

for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical for this role in 2024, becoming the first disabled actor to win in this category (and only second to win an Olivier Award). The musical was added to the streaming platform "National Theatre at home" in April 2024, after its extended run and closure in March of the same year.

Theatre

Filmography

Writing career

Trigg started focusing on writing after graduating because of a lack of jobs and accessibility for wheelchair users in theatre, as well as performing comedy shows. She was then approached by writer

Scarlett Curtis Scarlett Kate Freud Curtis (born 21 June 1995) is an English activist and writer. Biography Curtis was born on 21 June 1995 in London. She is the daughter of screenwriter Richard Curtis and broadcaster Emma Freud. In 2003, she made a brief cameo ...

to contribute to the book ''Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and Other Lies)'', to which big names also contributed, such as

Keira Knightley Keira Christina Knightley ( ; born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films and Blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters, particularly Historical drama, period dramas, she has received List of awards and no ...

and

Gemma Arterton Gemma Christina Arterton (born 2 February 1986) is a British actress. After her stage debut in Shakespeare's ''Love's Labour's Lost'' at the Globe Theatre (2007), Arterton made her feature-film debut in the comedy '' St Trinian's'' (2007). She p ...

. In 2020 Trigg was the joint recipient of the first Women's Prize for Playwriting for her full-length play ''Reasons You Should(n't) Love Me.'' Her play centres on a disabled young woman, Juno, and is meant to be performed by an actor using a wheelchair. The show premiered – with Trigg in the role of Juno – at the

Kiln Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as n ...

in 2021, returning to the venue in 2022 alongside a nationwide tour. Trigg is one of the writers for the British TV series ''

Ralph & Katie ''Ralph & Katie'' is a 2022 British television drama series. It is a spin-off of ''The A Word'', and is centred around the lives of a couple with Down syndrome. The six-part series, handled by a writing team made up predominantly of people wit ...

'' (a spin off of the BBC1/

ITV Studios ITV Studios Limited is a British multinational television media company owned by British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadcasters, and is ba ...

show ''

The A Word ''The A Word'' is a British television drama series, based on the Israeli series '' Yellow Peppers''. The series follows a young boy and how his family cope with the revelation that he has autism spectrum disorder. Following filming in the Lake ...

''). She has been part of various writing programmes from the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

TV Drama Writers' Programme (2021), 4Screenwriting (2021), BBC Drama Room (2020/21), BBC Writers' Access Group (2020/21), the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

Introduction to Playwriting Group (2020/21) and BBC Children's New Voices (2020).

Personal life

Trigg got engaged to actor Jordan Benjamin in

Frinton-on-Sea Frinton-on-Sea is a seaside town and (as just Frinton) a former civil parish, now in the parish of Frinton and Walton, in the Tendring district of Essex, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 4,837. History The place-name 'Fri ...

in 2024. The two met rehearsing for the musical ''The Little Big Things''.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Women's Prize for Playwriting 2020 official website

The Little Big Things official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trigg, Amy 1992 births 21st-century British actresses Actors from Braintree District Actresses from Essex Alumni of the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts British actors with disabilities British musical theatre actresses British wheelchair users British women screenwriters English musical theatre actresses English television actresses Laurence Olivier Award winners Living people People from Witham People with spina bifida