Original Theatre Company has created a new writing award targeting emerging and early career playwrights.
The winner receives a cash prize of £7,000, with £2,000 each being awarded to three runners-up.
The award, made in collaboration with Riverside Studios, will see the venue present script-in-hand performances which will be filmed for streaming by North South.
Steven Atkinson, digital producer for Original Theatre and former co-founder of HighTide, said, “as theatre rebuilds post-pandemic, it’s vital to continue to keep innovating with production opportunities for diverse new voices to support their development and showcase their talent. Following our recent Critic’s Circle Award for Exceptional Theatre Making During Lockdown, this award deepens Original Theatre’s commitment to making exceptional theatre available to audiences everywhere.”
The award will be judged by a panel of industry professionals whose identities have not yet been revealed.
Eligible plays will not have been previously produced or performed. They will feature four actors or less and have a running time of no longer than 70 minutes.
The Originals Playwriting Award is open for online submissions of work by writers at the start of their careers from the UK and over the age of 18 who believe that this award would be transformative. The submissions window closes at 10AM on 9 May.