Critics honour the Royal Court's latest star playwright

A teenager has been named Britain's best up-and-coming playwright by the Critics' Circle.

Anya Reiss, 19, was honoured today for Spur of the Moment, an expletive-strewn family drama which she wrote at the age of 17.

She was named most promising playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards last year.

The daughter of a Westminster Abbey canon, Reiss is under commission to the Royal Court Theatre, which has produced the last four winners of the Circle's award for most promising playwright.

Her win sealed a year of dominance for the subsidised theatre at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, held at the Prince of Wales Theatre today.

The Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company won all but one of the awards on offer.

Clybourne Park by Bruce Norris won best new play and David Suchet was named best actor for his role in All My Sons at the Apollo Theatre.