| Full Name: | Thomas Luke Crawshaw |
| Date of Birth: | 28th August, 1986 |
| Specialisms: | Writing, Performing, Directing |
| Education: | 1997-2002: Buxton Community School 14 GCSEs 2002-2004: Buxton Community Sixth Form 5 A-Levels 2005-2008: Oxford University (Mansfield College) BA Philosophy |
| Hobbies & Other Skills: | Juggling, Unicycling, Caving, Ukulele, Violin, Spanish |
| Favourite Stalactitic Formation: | Helictite |
| Not otherwise known as: | Thom Cronshaw |
| Anagram of Full Name: | What? He's a mock walrus? |
Since seeing his first play performed at the age of 15 (Trouble In Panto Land – with Michael Grady), Tom has written a further eight plays for the stage, has won a place in three writing festivals, been nominated for Best New Writing at the Buxton Fringe three consecutive years and recently been awarded the Cameron Mackintosh Award for New Writing. Previous theatre writing credits include Later Showers (Edinburgh Fringe 2005), Plane Of Existence (Buxton Fringe 2005), Platformation (Manchester 24:7 Festival 2004), Income Taxi (Buxton Fringe 2004) and House Of Dreams (with others, Buxton Opera House 2003). His play, That’s Life was also professionally workshoped by Buxton Opera House (March, 2003). His latest play, Still Life, is scheduled for a rehearsed reading in London this year as well as a performance in Oxford.
Tom has also produced a number of short stories, a film script and seen a number of his sketches performed. He has written extensively with The Cherwell (in Oxford) as well as theatre reviews for the Buxton Opera House and Buxton Fringe where he won Best Review in 2004.
Directing credits include Trouble In Panto Land, Othello and Our Country's Good (with Yaz Al-Shaater), and he has also worked as AD for The Constant Prince at the Arcola, London and as dramaturge for Six Characters Looking For An Author at the Playhouse, Oxford. With Yaz, he set up Underground Venues in 2005, a venue group in the Buxton Fringe which in 2006 co-ordinated 55 different events over three space and two and a half weeks, including theatre, stand-up, music, performance art and puppetry.
Favourite roles on stage include Guildenstern in Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead, Reverend Paris in The Crucible, Harris in After Magrite, Captain Tempest in Return To The Forbidden Planet, Oz in The Wizard Of Oz, Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Roderigo in Othello, and Candle Holder 2 in a production of The Nutcracker by the European Ballet. This summer, he also made some brief forays into stand-up - compering Barrel Of Laughs at the Buxton Fringe and Packed Lunch at the Edinburgh Fringe. An all-round performer, Tom also juggles, plays the ukulele and unicycles.
Tom is currently studying Philosophy and Theology at Oxford University. Outside of theatre, Tom enjoys caving, Nietzsche and knocking peoples hats off in the street.
