Lyn Gardner facts for kids

Lyn Gardner is a British writer who loves theatre and writes books for children. She is known as a theatre critic, which means she watches plays and writes about them. She is also a journalist, someone who writes for newspapers and websites. Lyn writes for The Stage and Stagedoor, and she used to write for The Guardian.

Lyn Gardner: Theatre Expert

Lyn Gardner studied drama and English at the University of Kent. After university, she helped start a magazine called City Limits. There, she was in charge of the theatre section, deciding which plays to write about. She also wrote for another newspaper called The Independent.

Writing for The Guardian

In 1995, Lyn joined The Guardian newspaper as a theatre critic. She worked there for 23 years! She especially loved writing about fringe and alternative plays. These are often smaller, more experimental shows, different from the big, well-known productions. She helped many people discover exciting new theatre.

Lyn also wrote a popular online blog for The Guardian starting in 2008. She shared her thoughts and opinions about theatre there.

Teaching and New Roles

Since 2017, Lyn Gardner has been an Associate Editor at The Stage newspaper. She still writes her theatre blog there, sharing her insights with readers. She also teaches students who want to become writers. She teaches a special course called an MA in Dramatic Writing at Drama Centre London, which is part of Central Saint Martins.

Lyn Gardner: Children's Author

Besides writing about theatre, Lyn Gardner is also a talented author of children's novels. She has written several popular book series for young readers.

The "Storm Eden" Series

Her first children's books were Into the Woods (published in 2006) and Out of the Woods (published in 2010). Both of these books were illustrated by Mini Grey. They are part of a series known as the "Storm Eden" series.

The "Stage School" Series

Lyn Gardner has also written six more children's novels for a publisher called Nosy Crow. These books are known as the "Stage School Series." They follow the adventures of a young girl named Olivia who attends a special Stage School. The first book in this series was called Olivia's First Term. The books have been very popular, and the seventh and final book in the series was published in July 2013.