Mercury Essex Playwrights Award, a major new initiative designed to champion both emerging and established playwrights from across Greater Essex.
Supported by GreyFriars Hotel, the award marks a significant new investment in regional talent and reflects the Mercury’s ongoing commitment to developing and producing exceptional new writing.
Supported by the Marcela Trust, this is the first year of a new playwrighting award championing both established and emerging writers from Greater Essex.
Over recent years, the Mercury has been proud to have been able to profile the work of Essex-based writers through workshops, masterclasses and productions on both the main stage and in the studio space Recent successes have included Flumps by Emma Jo Pallett which won UK Theatre’s Best New Play award in 2025, the world premiere of The Manningtree Witches by Ava Pickett in 2026, and a new stage adaptation of Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape, based on the bestselling book by Colchester-born Dermot O’Leary. These productions sit alongside a growing body of acclaimed new work developed and staged by the Mercury, including Martha Loader’s award-winning Bindweed and Tassa Deparis’ Swallow the Lake.
The Mercury is committed to supporting local writers. We are seeking Essex writers from all backgrounds with new ideas and new stories. Your work can be any genre or style - be contemporary or historical.
The winner of the Mercury Essex Playwrights Award will receive a full commission, dramaturgical support from the Mercury’s artistic team, and a fully staged production in the Mercury Studio during 2027. In addition to the production, the winner will receive dramaturgical support from our Literary Associate Kenny Emson and our Artistic Director, Natasha Rickman. You will also work closely with our Talent and New Work Producer, Katie Cutmore.
The Mercury is committed to supporting local writers. We are seeking Essex writers from all backgrounds with new ideas and new stories. Your work can be any genre or style – be contemporary or historical.
The winner of the Mercury Essex Playwrights Award will receive a full commission, dramaturgical support from the Mercury’s artistic team, and a fully staged production in the Mercury Studio during 2027.
In addition to the production, the winner will receive dramaturgical support from our Literary Associate Kenny Emson and our Artistic Director, Natasha Rickman. You will also work closely with our Talent and New Work Producer, Katie Cutmore.
Leeds Playhouse are delighted to be once again joining forces with Rollem Productions, BBC and Leeds City Council to support new writing in Yorkshire and continue the legacy of Kay Mellor. The Kay Mellor Fellowship is a year-long paid opportunity for a writer based in Yorkshire and the Humber to develop their writing for stage and screen.
The Kay Mellor Fellow 2027 will spend twelve months on attachment with Leeds Playhouse and Rollem Productions. During the 12 months they will:
This is not a full-time role, and it is expected that the writer will undertake other paid work outside of the fellowship. Working hours and timetables will be agreed with the fellowship holder.
A CPD opportunity for teachers to embed drama and creativity into their teaching, through working with a Bristol-based theatre company, Travelling Light.
Want to shake up your physics lesson but need some inspiration? Join Travelling Light on an exploration of how to incorporate more Drama into your classroom. Find out how a team of artists and teachers used arts-based learning to refresh their existing curriculum, whilst supporting pupil oracy, emotional literacy and wellbeing.
Key aims of the session:
Slots available in Bristol (8th Dec), Weston-Super-Mare (9th Dec) or Bath (11th Dec).
Please note, this is for teachers only.
Experience a behind-the scenes tour and interactive sessions throughout the building, with expert advice on career pathways into theatre and live entertainment at one of Bristol's most iconic venues!
Book for either the 4th or 6th November.
This opportunity is part of the West of England Discover! Creative Careers takeover, in collaboration with: Get Into Theatre, Bristol Old Vic, Bristol Beacon, St George’s, The Redgrave, Prime Theatre, The Egg Theatre and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Please note, this is for school groups only. Sign up and book via the Discover! Opportunity Finder.
We hope the Studio will be a home for playwrights of all levels of experience, helping us to connect and making a range of opportunities accessible in a joined-up, sustained writing package.
If you become a member of the Studio (it’s completely free!) you can access:
These pathways are tailored for emerging Directors, Choreographers, Musical Directors, Designers, Lighting Designers, Stage Managers, Wardrobe Assistants and Technicians aged 16 to 23 who are in training or recently graduated from Higher Education.
Applications are open for 2025. There is £25 application fee which gives access to preparatory online sessions, offering skill building and group mentorship. Following these sessions you will have the opportunity to apply for a specific role on a production.
We care fiercely about Artists and Creative Freelancers working in this sector and in supporting and advocating for the very best conditions for brilliant art to be created.
Our Artist Support work is central to the organisation and is what makes us unique.
- We provide expert, artist-led support that enables people to develop distinctive ideas and thriving careers.
- We support independence and resilience by cultivating peer support, connections, and networks.
- We working with and listening to organisations across the sector locally and nationally to understand and recognise challenges they are facing.
- We advocate and lobby on behalf of artists and freelancers in sector wide strategic conversations and ensure they are at the table too.
Support for refugees and asylum seekers...
In 2014, West Yorkshire Playhouse became the first ever Theatre of Sanctuary, a public statement and recognition of our commitment to being a place of safety, hospitality and support for refugees and people seeking asylum.
We work closely with refugee organisations and with volunteers from the refugee and asylum seeker community in Leeds to offer a range of creative and practical projects, and we extend a warm welcome to the Playhouse community.
We have a dedicated programme of work during Refugee Week consisting of seminars, performances and workshops and throughout the year we offer a number of tailored and bespoke projects.
We provide creative programmes and one-to-one support to help participants develop their skills & explore potential career opportunities. We offer a range of support options for those still in education through to the long-term unemployed.
Our Model:
Since our establishment, Immediate Theatre has been committed to providing first-time employment opportunities and support for young people who would otherwise face significant barriers to employment.
Our programmes offer regular 1-2-1 support as well as group workshops, which aim to develop key employability skills through creative activities.
Our music therapy sessions use sound to create a safe environment where students can explore their feelings and memories at their own pace. The therapy is tailored to them and their specific needs, and students can access it through one-to-one sessions or as part of a group.
Our specialist music therapist works closely with our occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy teams and with education facilitators to provide the best learning environment. Sessions take place at one of our three different sensory rooms, or at a number of other locations across the campus. The therapist and student, through improvisation, will create and develop a musical language of their own. The music therapist is a full member of BAMT and is registered with the HCPC.
A typical music therapy session:
May begin with a welcome song, which may develop into an improvisation
Focuses on pre-composed music or an improvised piece, and this is directed by the student’s choice of instrument and playing style
Ends with a closing song to signal the end of the session
