Ellie Keel (born 13 November 1991) is a British writer, theatre producer, and the founder and director of the Women's Prize for Playwriting.
Keel studied modern languages (German and Italian) at Brasenose College at Oxford University, graduating with First Class Honours in 2014. After graduating, she worked for the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation and the Oxford Playhouse as the university drama officer, overseeing all student theatre productions at Oxford University.
In 2016, Keel co-founded (with Lucy Maycock, Ria Parry and John Hoggarth) Alchymy Festival at The North Wall, Oxford to support and showcase the work of early-career theatre-makers. In 2018, the Oxford Culture Review stated âÂÂThere are so many good things to say about the Alchymy Festival that itâÂÂs hard to know where to begin.âÂÂ
In 2019, Keel founder her production company, Ellie Keel Productions (EKP), to create âÂÂfearlessly imaginative, endlessly excitingâ new work across the UK and internationally. EKPâÂÂs productions include:
In 2024 Keel won the Producer of the Year in The Stage Awards, becoming the youngest ever to win in this category.
In 2019, Keel co-founded the Women's Prize for Playwriting with Paines Plough to champion female and non-binary playwrights in the UK and Ireland. The prize launched later the same year. The prize launched later the same year. Past winners have included Amy Trigg (2020) and Sarah Grochala (2023).
In 2024, Keel was nominated for the Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for her work on The Swell by Isley Lynn, which was shortlisted for the prize in 2020 and ran at the Orange Tree Theatre in 2023.
In April 2024, KeelâÂÂs first novel The Four was published by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins. On publication, the novel became an instant Sunday Times bestseller. KeelâÂÂs second novel will be published by HQ in 2026.