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.
Join Gecko for a masterclass, an award-winning and internationally acclaimed physical theatre company.
This is a rare opportunity to experience first-hand the tools Gecko uses to create their visceral, poetic, and provocative productions. Through a process of “serious play” and dynamic physical tasks, you’ll explore unique methods for creating movement for performance. You’ll delve into the use of breath and language to express yourself and discover how to access emotional states safely within a professional creative environment.
You will be nurtured and challenged in your artistic decision-making, connecting with yourself and others through a morning of creative discovery. Whether you’re an aspiring performer or just want to try a new way of creating theatre, you’ll walk away with a toolkit of techniques used by one of the leading companies in the theatre world.
The Bill Cashmore Award offers a paid opportunity for two new one-act plays by writers aged 18-30, to be professionally produced at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Bristol Old Vic.
The two winning plays will run as a double bill and will be performed by the Bristol Old Vic’s Young Company and Young SixSix in April 2027, and the Lyric’s SPRINGBOARD trainee actors in August 2027.
The award is kindly supported by the Bill Cashmore Award Founder Sasha Bates.
We particularly welcome submissions from those who are underrepresented in theatre and/or situated in areas culturally underserved.
The two successful writers will:
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.
Forge Playwrights a new project that will nurture emerging Black, Asian and ethnically diverse writers in our region.
The group will be led by Aisha Khan, with co-mentoring from John Rwothomack and Frey Kwa Hawking.
The writers will meet monthly at Sheffield Theatres from September 2026 to April 2027 for workshops and writing sessions, followed by a period of writing and one-to-one support that will lead to an opportunity to have their work shared as part of the Open works Festival in Autumn 2027.
This ambitious year of activity will support six emerging Black, Asian and ethnically diverse writers to develop new skills, ideas, and relationships as they write a full-length play.
Aisha Khan is a writer for theatre, radio and screen, director and dramaturg. Aisha recently adapted A Christmas Carol for Sheffield Theatres. Her writing credits include No Man’s Land, (Theatre An Der Parkau, Berlin/Leeds Playhouse) and Moonshed (dir, Sarah Frankcom, Royal Exchange Theatre). Aisha has also written for BBC Radio 4.
Directing credits include The Abyss by Ghiath Al-Mhitawi (Royal Court/Edinburgh International Festival) and Spirits by Gemma Bedeau.
John Rwothomack is a Ugandan-born, London-trained actor, director, writer, and recipient of the Peggy Ramsay Award whose work includes commissions from Sheffield Theatres and English Touring Theatre. In 2021, John founded Roots Mbili Theatre, where he serves as artistic director.
Frey Kwa Hawking is a transsexual critic, dramaturg, and arts worker. He is Associate Dramaturg at the Bush Theatre, a Dramaturgs' Network board member, was Co-Mentor for Sheffield Theatres' New Dramaturgs and Theatremakers Groups, and works with a number of theatres, companies and competitions.
ACTING WORKSHOPS Further Than The Edge Productions are running weekly Open Level Acting Workshops for adults in two Camden venues. A motivating, fun and safe space for beginners, and people with experience who want to develop existing skills.
Develop your creativity, your skills of voice, space and movement, work collaboratively on improvisation and scripts, have fun, build your confidence.
These are open level workshops, so no previous acting training is required, but you must be prepared to work with other people - communicate and collaborate, and move around the space. You will also read/use extracts of playtexts/scripts.
Where and When:
2 sessions per week, 2 different venues - Wednesdays and Fridays
mornings 10am - 12.30pm
starting
Friday Oct 3rd to Dec 5th - Euston venue
and
Weds Oct 8th to Dec 10th - Swiss Cottage venue
Funding Opportunity: Up to £60,000 for Outdoor Arts Projects
Without Walls UK has opened applications for its 2027 Creation and Touring Programme, supporting ambitious new outdoor arts projects by UK-based artists and companies.
Open to both emerging and established artists, including those new to outdoor arts, the programme is looking for innovative, tour-ready work across circus, dance, theatre, puppetry, installation and cross-disciplinary performance.
Selected projects can receive up to £60,000 in creation funding, alongside bespoke producer support, accessibility and sustainability training, and guaranteed touring opportunities across major UK festivals from May 2027.
The programme is especially interested in work that explores the climate emergency, family-focused or participatory experiences, creative accessibility, diverse-led practice, and new digital technologies.
A strong opportunity for artists ready to create bold public-facing work for outdoor spaces.
Calling all theatre-makers, writers and creatives!
Have an idea for a new theatre project? Riverside Studios’ R&D Autumn Season Callout is now open.
We’re offering selected artists a week of free rehearsal space to research, develop and test new work, with a sharing at the end of the week.
Successful applicants will also receive basic technical and marketing support, a dedicated dressing room, and 10% off food and drink at Riverside.
We’re particularly keen to hear from creatives who are currently underrepresented in theatre, with at least 50% of places allocated to Global Majority, LGBTQ+, working-class and disabled artists.
In Good Company, in partnership with Middle Child, is offering a £7,286 paid commission for a Midlands-based playwright to develop a new studio-scale play for production and future touring.
The selected writer will create a new scripted play of up to 70 minutes with a cast of up to four. The commission includes dramaturgical and writing mentorship from Middle Child, alongside development support from In Good Company.
The finished work will be produced by Middle Child and premiered in Hull and Derby in spring 2028, with additional touring supported across a network of Midlands partner venues.
This is a commission with full creative freedom, within the above parameters.
The opportunity is open to writers aged 18+ who are based in or have a strong connection to the Midlands, and who have at least one professionally presented theatre work.
Applications are particularly encouraged from writers who are D/deaf, disabled, from racially marginalised backgrounds, working class, LGBTQ+, or other underrepresented groups in the theatre industry.
Work In Theatre is an opportunity to explore, hear more about and take part in workshops about the hidden areas of theatre that people often do not know exist.
Through a variety of workshops, guest talks and practical opportunities, the group will explore areas of theatre which may include:
From Page to Stage – Directing
Audience & Outreach – Marketing
Running the Show – Stage Management
Technical Stagecraft
Character through Dress
Production Design Workshop and more!
Attendees will also see Wicked the Musical during the week on Wednesday 12th August 2026 at 2:30pm.
Bursary spaces available for those who may find price a barrier to accessing this workshop. Please email kitmiles@atgentertainment.com for more info on bursary and discounted spaces. For any further questions please email WestEndINSPIRE@atgentertainment.com
