Julia is an emerging Chinese-British writer based in Manchester, UK.

Julia is an emerging British-Hong Kong playwright and has recently completed her MA in Playwriting at Manchester. A snippet of her current play in development, ‘Dear Joanna, My favourite animals is Scorpions’ was presented at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2025. Through playful disruption and bold theatricality, she aims to bend form and expectation, creating work that challenges how stories move through time and space.

Julia is currently developing various original scripts for the stage. She works freelance as a script consultant and periodically collaborates on short films in the North West.

upcoming events

  • The Bread and Roses Theatre: Lambeth Fringe

    Sat 26 Sept - Sun 27 Sept 2026

    “What begins as an innocent form of courtship evolves into a subtle suggestion of the origins of incel culture” - The Reviews Hub

    'Dear Joanna' explores obsession, innocence and growing up. The play follows two kids called Dave and Joanna. Dave is an endearing boy with a huge crush on Joanna. As the play progresses and they reach teenagehood, this unrequited love story takes a darker turn. 'Dear Joanna' combines bold new writing with a sharp exploration of gender, childhood and adolescence.

    Joanna is hanging out with her best friend one day when Dave first sees her and is instantly besotted. Joanna doesn’t seem interested, but Dave is not deterred and decides to write her a letter. We watch as Dave makes increasingly bold attempts to get Joanna’s attention and things turn on their head when he’s enrolled at her school.

    Julia’s writing replicates the vividness and immediacy of childhood experience. The play lands its audience back into the emotional intensity of childhood, reminding us what it was like to feel everything all at once.

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  • The Cockpit - New Stuff: May

    The Cockpit - New Stuff: May

    Sun 3 May 2026

    NEW STUFF - Our monthly night of rehearsed readings. Join us for the opportunity to see exciting new work and engage in conversation with other writers, creatives, and theatre-goers.

    DEAR JOANNA, MY FAVOURITE ANIMALS ARE SCORPIONS
    by Julia Rudd

    Dave really likes this one girl and also his skateboard. Joanna really wants her friend’s neighbour to leave her alone. Dear Joanna, My favourite animals are Scorpions, explores obsession, innocence and growing up.

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  • Pleasance Theatre London - chaos: iii

    Fri 27 - Sat 28 March 2026

    Nine acts. One live band. Seamlessly woven together.

    Blending emerging voices with established theatre-makers, this year’s lineup features work from:

    Martina Laird (RSC, Kiln Theatre), Hassan Abdulrazzak (Soho Theatre, Arcola Theatre), alongside Chelsea Bondzanga, Louis Caitliff, Lucy Ellis, Joshua Haigh, Pound Puppy, Julia Rudd, and Isabella Thompson.

    Step into the absurd world of chaos where drama, sketch, clowning, and dance collide. 

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  • Royal Exchange Theatre - An Evening of New Work with Carmen Nasr & Simon Stephens

    Thu 5 - Fri 6 June 2025

    Running time: 2 hours 30 mins (incl. 1 interval of 20 mins)

    A celebration of the incredible new writing talent emerging from the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing.

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  • Don't Believe What's On TV

    Fri 9 May 2025

    The premiere of the short film: Don’t Believe What’s On TV starring well-known content creators: Enya Umanzor and Larly.

    Produced by Julia Rudd and Genevieve Ferns
    Written and directed by Genevieve Ferns

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