British Theatre Guide

News, reviews, features and podcast on theatre across the UK

Writing

Writing podcast episodes

Writing news

Trio win Papatango New Writing Prize

11 July 2021

Papatango names this year's three winning playwrights and announces open-entry applications for cast and creatives for audio touring productions with ETT.

Papatango 2020 winner production

4 July 2021

Dates are announced for Papatango-winning Old Bridge at London's Bush Theatre.

Prize-winning Black British Women's Theatre: Intersectionality, Archives, Aesthetics

Society for Theatre Research Theatre Book Prize winner

22 June 2021

The annual book prize from the Society for Theatre Research Theatre has gone to a study of black British women’s theatre by Nicola Abram.

Sky Studios’ creative director of comedy Anil Gupta and Birmingham REP artistic director Sean Foley

Birmingham REP and Sky look for comedy writers

28 May 2021

Sky Comedy REP is a new partnership that aims to discover and develop regional comedy writing talent from across the UK, particularly from communities traditionally under-represented.

Victorian Touring Actresses

Shortlist for STR Theatre Book Prize 2021

20 May 2021

The Society for Theatre Research has released the titles that have made the shortlist for this year's Theatre Book Prize.

Preston Live Arts Festival

Write up your street?

10 May 2021

The creative team behind Preston Live Arts Festival are on the lookout for submissions from musical theatre book-writers or scriptwriters.

Preston Live Arts Festival

Call out for Preston Live Arts Festival

26 April 2021

Celebrating the city of Preston and its people, the recently announced Live Arts Festival is looking for locals to submit work.

New playwrights award from Donmar Warehouse

25 April 2021

London's Donmar Warehouse is partnering with Access Entertainment to offer new commissioning award for two UK playwrights.

burn / gobscure

Bursary award for NE theatre-maker

22 April 2021

NE writer / theatre-maker burn / gobscure has been awarded a bursary from MGCfutures.

2019 winner Colin Dowland

Hope play prize springs eternal

18 April 2021

The Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize has re-opened for submissions.

Theatre Absolute writer / artistic director Chris O’Connell

Writers’ encouragement award for Theatre Absolute

15 April 2021

The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain has awarded Coventry-based Theatre Absolute an Olwen Wymark Award for “exceptional encouragement of theatre writing”.

Peter Terson in 2020

Peter Terson (1932–2021)

14 April 2021

Playwright Peter Terson has died at the age of 89.

Erika Dickerson-Despenza

US playwright bags Susan Smith Blackburn Prize

11 April 2021

Erika Dickerson-Despenza has been awarded the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize with cullad wattah.

The Watermill builds a LAUNCHPAD

21 March 2021

Emerging artists are invited to apply for new development programme LAUNCHPAD to support their next piece of work.

The Wakey-Wake-Amatic

Winners get heard if not seen

7 March 2021

The winning entries of Theatr Iolo’s Young Playwright’s Competition are produced as audio plays whilst venues remain closed.

Writers in the Stockroom

8 February 2021

Out of Joint has announced the writers for its new in-house commissioning initiative: Stockroom.

Mike Bartlett to lead new writing programme at Hampstead

7 February 2021

Amongst its new initiatives, London's Hampstead Theatre will run a new playwriting programme led by Mike Bartlett.

StagePlay Award announce inaugural winners

Winners hold all the tricks

7 February 2021

The winners of the inaugural Box of Tricks and Sky Studios' Screen/Play Award have been named.

Royal Exchange Theatre's LocalTALE Playwriting Competition

Exchange offers play time in Leigh

6 February 2021

The Royal Exchange and its Ambassador Group in Leigh are looking for entries for their playwriting competition.

Two in one success for Ashington playwright

5 February 2021

An Ashington based playwright has won the inaugural Box of Tricks and Sky Studios Screen/Play Award.

Earwig sonic theatre podcast

Earwigs emerge from Tron Theatre

25 January 2021

Scotland's Tron Theatre presents a free podcast series of sonic theatre productions.

Rise:Up and hear the music

24 January 2021

Digital venue Stream.Theatre and Perfect Pitch preview new British musicals online.

Honour: Alexia McIntosh

Alexia starts Birmingham theatre’s online workshops

22 January 2021

Birmingham’s Alexia McIntosh has kicked off a series of digital masterclasses at the Hippodrome in the city: 25 online workshops for young people aged between 7 and 25.

The Neon Shadow - behind the scenes image - performer Edwin Ray playing Shadow

The colourful Shadow of Kneehigh

18 January 2021

Kneehigh has released a free online educational resource pack, The Shadow Kit.

Black women's Voices against violence

17 January 2021

Interdisciplinary performance arts project is now accepting submissions until 14 February for campaign against violence towards women.

Shook goes online

Papatango Shook online

17 January 2021

Papatango New Writing Prize-winner Shook has been filmed and will be online next month, whilst this year's Prize continues to accept submissions.

Octagon rehearsal space

Octagon makes space for new ideas

15 January 2021

Throughout January, Bolton Octagon will host three local artists in its brand new rehearsal space following a £12 million redevelopment.

Creative sessions: The Courtyard goes online

Online courses at The Courtyard

7 January 2021

The Courtyard Hereford is to deliver a range of classes online, enabling participants to engage in creative sessions from the safety of their homes.

The Women's Writes Online Festival

The Women's Writes Online Festival

27 December 2020

Five new short plays challenging stereo-typical depictions of womxn will be shown in the new year.

Peterborough New Theatre exterior

UK young writers to work with US counterparts

27 December 2020

Applications are open for young storytellers to join Peterborough New Theatre's bridging initiative with Brooklyn Youth Company.

45North launch scheme for gender-diverse theatre creatives

13 December 2020

Three gender-diverse theatre creatives will be chosen to participate in a new seed commission initiative from 45North to support work by underrepresented groups.

Daniel Ward wins George Devine Award

29 November 2020

The George Devine Award has been given to Daniel Ward for his debut play The Canary and the Crow.

Bush Theatre - script submissions window open until 10 January

Bush Theatre welcomes scripts

29 November 2020

Open submissions of full-length plays will be accepted by London's Bush Theatre until 10 January.

Judge Cleo Sylvestre

Theatre Book Prize judges announced

27 November 2020

The Society for Theatre Research has announced the judging panel for books published in 2020 and publishers are now invited to submit entries.

Reviews

First ACT Shakespeare

First ACT Shakespeare

Robert Pennant Jones

The Seven Stars Project

Released 13 July 2021

A Stinging Delight

A Stinging Delight

David Storey

Faber & Faber

Released 3 June 2021

A Companion to British-Jewish Theatre since the 1950s

A Companion to British-Jewish Theatre since the 1950s

Edited by Jeanette R Malkin, Eckart Voigts & Sarah Jane Ablett

Methuen Drama

Released 25 March 2021

Modern American Drama: Playwriting 2000-2009

Modern American Drama: Playwriting 2000–2009

Edited by Julia Listengarten & Cindy Rosenthal

Methuen Drama

Released 25 February 2021

Writing in Coffee Shops

Writing in Coffee Shops

Ryan Craig

Methuen Drama

Released 11 February 2021

Harold Pinter: Stages, Networks, Collaborations

Harold Pinter: Stages, Networks, Collaborations

Edited by Basil Chiasson and Catriona Fallow

Methuen Drama

Released 11 February 2021

A Bright Ray of Darkness

A Bright Ray of Darkness

Ethan Hawke

William Heinemann

Released 2 February 2021

Staging America

Staging America

Christopher Bigsby

Methuen Drama

Released 28 January 2021