Tony Horitz

Poet in residence

Tony Horitz has lived in East Dorset, UK, for many years, after growing up in Surrey. He’s written poetry for many years, alongside a career in community theatre, educational drama and theatre in education, recently as a freelance director of State of Play Arts.

He’s also Artistic Director of Wimborne Community Theatre, WCT, now celebrating their 30th Anniversary. Their productions are all initially devised by group members and staged site-specifically - outdoors or indoors – celebrating places of particular interest historically and environmentally. Actors of all ages and abilities are involved. The material grows from walks about the sites and culminates with the audience sharing the chosen route, as scenes appear and come to life as they walk about. Their next promenade production The River Runs Through Us (6-9 July 2022) celebrates Dorset’s River Stour, focusing on the stretch of water through Wimborne adjacent to land shortly to be regenerated.

Tony’s a member of the Blandford based Poetry in Progress, PiP, a group of seven Dorset poets, convened by Paul Hyland, who meet regularly to share and critique new work in Blandford (but since COVID19 on SKYPE). PiP published an anthology of work called Seven (published by Impulse Press, 2014). Two of Tony’s plays for young people were published by Samuel French Ltd and a collection of poems, Voyages, by Word and Action (Dorset) many moons ago.