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London Playwrights’ Projects
The Literary Series: Interviews with Literary Managers, Dramaturgs and New Work Associates – New Episodes Live NOW (Josh Elliott from Graeae Theatre// Tom Wright from The Kiln Theatre// Fleur Hebditch)
Pay it Forward for Playwrights: A new initiative to help support writers
Playwriting Real-life: London Playwrights Podcast live now! New episode – Interview with Playwright Max Wilkinson
Members’ Zoom Drop-in session: share your work, meet other writers – first Wednesday of each month!
What do our members get?
London Playwrights’ Zoom Workshops
Find out more about the full programme of workshops here. New sessions for the Autumn term coming soon!
NEW! In person workshop: Creating Compelling Dialogue for Film & TV with award winning writer Tom Hunsinger – BOOK NOW!
Featured Members Content
Click here to join up and get access to this content and much more! It costs just £3.63 per month!
WrAP2023 Redrafting Materials available for members to download now!
Learn with London Playwrights sessions on ‘Writing Opening Scenes’ and ‘Creating Characters’ available now
Full 8 sessions available now! Online Course: Mastering Dramatic Structure
The LPW Guide to Formatting your Stage Play – Available to download
Digital Resources
Click the images for details of digital resources, online streams, podcasts, and more!
Latest News
Explained: How to increase your membership amount – London Playwrights
ChewBoy Productions: George Bailey on filming theatre shows
WALKING PLAYS: New app bringing London’s streets to life
Playwrights and Policy by Jane Woddis
300 Thoughts for Theatremakers: Writing for the Screen
Chewboy Productions: HARPOCRATES (or, how to run away quietly) – a short film available to watch now
Opportunities Listings
New! New opportunities added this week are now highlighted in pink to save regular scrollers some time!
Digital & Audio & Screen Opportunities
We’ve listed digital opportunities divided into those with deadlines, rolling deadlines, , and online workshops. Scroll down for live performance opportunities and in person workshops.
BBC Radio 4 Extra – DMs Are Open – taking submissions – Deadlines: various
Underscore Studios – Script Lab for working class writers/ filmmakers – Deadline: not specified/ see their newsletter
Shape Arts with TLC: Free Reads – Deadline: 26 July 2023
Film Hub South West – BFI NETWORK New Voices 2023 – Deadline: 23 July 2023
BFI Future Film Festival 2023 – call for submissions (£5 entry fee)- Deadline: 4 August 2023
BBC Comedy Script Partnership Project: Northern Ireland – Deadline: 1 September 2023
London Playwrights’ Members: Summer Monologue Competition – Deadline: 1 September 2023
Rolling deadlines:
BBC Upload – Deadline: rolling
British Comedy Guide – Pro Video Contest – Various throughout the year
SOOP Annual Short Story Contest – Deadline: none posted
Box of Tricks’ PlayMakers Network- a creative home for Northern playwrights – Deadline: not applicable
New Hope Creative Group presents a new scratch night for black writers – Deadline: rolling
Frequency Theatre Open to Unsolicited Script Submissions (Audio Plays Only) (unpaid) – Deadline: rolling
New writing project for Heckington Living Radio (unpaid) – Deadline: none posted
TYPE! Accepting submissions for bookmark magazine (unpaid) – Deadline: rolling
Add Your Shows and Theatre Resources to Thespie (unpaid)- Deadline: rolling
Scenesaver – digital performance platform – Deadline: rolling
Online Courses and Workshops
Kali Playwrights Forum – Date: 29 June 2023 and then every two months
Paines Plough – Open Writer’s Labs – Deadline: not speficied
The Writers Hour- virtual writing sprints by London Writers’ Salon – Daily
1×1 intuitive writing sessions with Sarah Congress – Dates: various
Scratch Me 2022 – Public Programme – Dates: various
Playwright and former Space Theatre script reader Scott Younger is offering free feedback on all plays 10 pages and under in length – Deadline: not applicable
Big Fish Productions writing group – Dates: Every Friday
Relish Theatre – Coffee & Creative Catch up – Date: Every Friday
Part of the Main: Part of the Grid back with new online workshops – Dates: various
NT Playwriting Masterclasses – Dates: various
City Academy: Monthly Online Writing Club – Dates: monthly, various
New Earth academy plus- for BESEA artists – Various/ also in-person events
Directing Theatre – Online workshop with Russell Lucas – Date: 22 July 2023
LPW Members Online Course: Mastering Dramatic Structure – Available now
LPW Summer Sessions: Overcoming writers’ block (online workshop) – Available now
LPW Summer Sessions: How to write a monologue (online workshop) – Available now
LPW Summer Sessions: Promoting yourself as a writer (online workshops) – Available now
LPW: The Redrafting Toolkit – Available now
LPW Members: Online Course – Writing in Dialect: How to Listen, What to Write – Available now
LPW Members: Online Course – The Submissions Checklist – Available now
Live playwriting Opportunities & Jobs
Listed in order of deadline, followed those with deadlines, and workshops & events.
With deadlines:
Manchester City of Literature’s Festival of Libraries – Seeking Commisions – Deadline: 21 July 2023
Kali Discovery Programme 2023/2024 – Applications Open – Deadline: 24 July 2023
POETS OF COLOUR INCUBATOR- writers in the North of England – Deadline: 24 July 2023
Royal Exchange Young Company- recruiting Writers, Performers and Makers (14-21) – Deadline: none posted but writers workshop is 25 July 2023
Little Fish Theatre – Pick of the Vine short play festival- Deadline: 30 July 2023
Eclectic Full Contact Theater Company Announces The 1st Annual Crashbox! Festival – An International Festival for Short Live Radio Plays – Deadline: 31 July 2023
Mustapha Matura Award 2023 (25 or younger) – Deadline: 31 July 2023
The North East Playwriting Award – by the Live Theatre and the Catherine Cookson Charitable Trust – Deadline: 7 August 2023
Developing your Creative Practice- new rounds opens- 1 July 2023- 10 August 2023 – Deadline: 10 August 2023
Personal Assistant to High Profile Script Writer – Deadline: 10 August 2023
Yale Drama Series 2024 Competition – Call for Submissions – Deadline: 15 August 2023 (opens on 1 June 2023)
BBC Writersroom at Edinburgh Fringe – Deadline: not posted/ Dates 20- 25 August 2023
The Kay Mellor Fellowship 2024 – Deadline: 29 August 2023 at 10am
Laurels Theatre | Richard Jenkinson Commission – Deadline: 31 August 2023
Ten-Minute Musicals Project 2023 – Deadline: 31 August 2023
Theatre Three 25th Annual Festival of One-Act Plays (2024) – Deadline: 1 September 2023
Constellation Stage and Screen – The Woodward / Newman Award – Deadline: 1 September 2023
The Script’s The Thing! – Deadline: 22nd September 2023
INK Festival – Short Play Submissions – Deadline: 23 September 2023
Titchfield Festival Theatre – New Playwright Competition – Deadline: 30 September 2023
FOOTNOTE X COUNTERPOINTS WRITING PRIZE- for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds – Deadline: 1 October 2023
Transient Arena – Script Submissions – Deadline: 31 October 2023
Rolling & Unspecified deadlines:
Off The Page: bi-monthly script readings at The Bridge House Theatre, Penge – Deadline: rolling
Old Red Lion Theatre – Space availabe for August and September – Deadline: not specified
London Pub Theatres Magazine Seeking Review Writers – Deadline: rolling
Mental Rebellion seeking writers – Deadline: not specified
No Such Thing Theatre at the Kings Head offering free feedback for playwrights – Deadline: not specified
Birmingham Rep: Victoria Wood Playwriting Prize – Deadline: not yet specified, submissions open in September 2023
Scribe Playwriting Competition taking entries for 2024 competition (entry fee) – Deadline: rolling
Go Try Play Write – monthly playwriting contest – Deadline: monthly
Call for applications: Kevin Elyot Award 2023 – Deadline: not specified
Heads or Tales? Monthly Scratch Night (Scottish & Irish Writers) – Deadline: monthly events
Applications open for Camden Fringe 2023 – Deadline: not specified
Production Proposal Submissions – The King’s Head Theatre – Deadline: not specified
Finborough Theatre | Open Script Submissions – Deadline: rolling
Anthroplay Theatre Scratch night – Deadline: rolling/ monthly
Barons Court- Sunday Fix scratch night – Deadline: not specified
Royal Exchange Theatre ELDERS COMPANY opportunities –Deadline: not specified
Call: Love Sharing Festival – VII edition – Deadline: not specified
Traverse Theatre First Stages Festival – Deadline: not applicable
Unbound – reader-funded pitches – Deadline: none posted
Creative Hub seeking creative writing about climate change – Deadline not specified
Fifth Word – Submit your Play (paid if produced) – Deadline: not specified
The Hope Theatre seeking plays for new programme (profit share) – Deadline: not specified
Think Shorts – Free Short film listing (unpaid) – Deadline: rolling
Fearless: Danse Macabre Productions Free Script Reading for Horror Scripts (unpaid) – Deadline: rolling
BBC Comedy Association plans unveiled – Deadline: not applicable
Calling members of the Neurodivergent Theatre Community – Deadline: not applicable
The Swiss Church London offering subsided space for artists – Deadline: not applicable
London Pub Theatres seeking new reviewers (unpaid) – Deadline: none posted
The New Works Playhouse accepting submissions (unpaid) – Deadline: rolling
The Royal Court now accepting online submissions – Deadline: rolling
John Byrne Award monthly competition for creative work (prize £250) – Deadline: monthly
Brush Stroke Order now offering bursaries for script reading services – Deadline: rolling
Peggy Ramsay Foundation: Grant for writers – Deadline: rolling
Tutti Creative Space: cheap rehearsal space – Deadline: not applicable
Newsthump looking for spoof news writers (paid) – Deadline: ongoing
Arvon Grants available for writing courses – Deadline: none posted/ various
Live events and in person workshops:
Developing a Character – Workshop with Playwright Karen Cecilia in Athens, Greece – Dates: see website
Messy Writers: Monthly London Meet-Ups – – Dates: monthly
Royal Exchange Collective Membership- for under 26’s – Deadline: not applicable
Blood Beats: LGBTQ+ Writers Group (Manchester) – Dates: 3rd Thursday of the month in 2023
Theatre Deli London- Free workshops for emerging makers – Dates: various throughout July 2023
Octagon Theatre Bolton – South Asian Heritage Month Writing Workshop – Date: 28 July 2023
Crafting Compelling Dialogue for TV & Film: A 6 Week Course with Tom Hunsinger – Starts: 31 July 2023 for 6 weeks/ Mondays
Pleasure Chapters – Free Women’s Circle – Date: 1 August 2023
New Earth academy plus- for BESEA artists – Various/ also online
Manchester Screenwriting Meet Up – Dates: various (alternates between in person in and Zoom)
BBC & NFTS – BBC Scholarships – Dates: various