Opportunities Listings 

Digital Opportunities

We’ve listed digital opportunities divided into those with deadlines, rolling deadlines, digital resources, and online workshops. Scroll down for live performance opportunities and in person workshops.  (For a listing of online streams of theatre productions, click here). 

With deadlines: 

Turn Point Theatre seeking short plays on theme of ‘My First Time’ for Tickle & Scratch online scratch night – Deadline: 4 September 2020

The Query Letter accepting book blurb submissions for contest – Deadline: 15 September 2020

Rolling deadlines: 

ŠITE Productions are looking for Living Room Plays -Deadline: rolling

Calling Creative Contributors – writers, dancers, photographers, The Creative Pandemic – Deadline: rolling

Call out for Audio Comedy & Comedy/Drama Scripts! – Deadline: rolling

Caravan Theatre accepting submissions for online reading group – Deadlines: various

Cooped Up Creatives recruiting new contributors for poetry and art project – Deadline: rolling

Director’s Cut – LockDown OpenUp – Deadline: rolling

Durham Student Theatre are looking for 5 minute monologues – Deadline: rolling

Eclectic Full Contact Theatre seeking audio scripts for podcast – Deadline: none posted

Fable Workshop is looking for writers to create social distancing plays – Deadline: rolling

Fizzy Sherbet accepting short play submissions from womxn writers for new podcast – Deadline: rolling

Josef Weinberger Plays seeking 15 minute shorts for ISOPLAYTION – Deadline: rolling

JustOut Theatre accepting submissions for 15 minute weekly radio plays – Deadline: rolling

LifeLogues – Series of monologues based on lived experiences – Deadline: none posted

Metal Rabbit Productions looking for scripts to be read out loud over Zoom – Deadline: rolling

Monday Playreaders are looking for new scripts to be read aloud via Zoom – Every Monday

Online New Writing Nights at Dapper Sandwich – Deadline: none posted

The Creative Hub seeking submissions on theme of climate crisis – Deadline: none posted

Quarantine Quill – Creative writing podcast – Deadline: rolling

Up ‘Ere Productions new online play reading group ‘The Breakfast Club’ – Deadline: rolling until filled

Digital Resources:

300 Thoughts for Theatremakers by Russell Lucas

Access the Royal Court’s Playwrights’ Podcast

Bloomsbury Publishing: How to get your play published (view live stream of talk)

Chalk Musical Theatre Dramaturgy is a new script-reading service for musicals

Chippy Lane Productions open list of female writers

Every week Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival showcasing a film of performance

Financial support for arts individuals and organisations from the government

FREE 7-Day Writing Coaching Programme from Pick up your Pen 

Free Q&As from Actor Awareness

Free scripts to read or use from Smith Scripts

Get Your Play On Podcast

James McDermott – writer for hire selling zoom playwriting classes and script reports

LPW Podcast with Temi Wilkey, One Fine Play & The Bush Theatre

Lemon House Theatre launches Lemon Lounge: A series of talks with queer artists and artists from the MENA diaspora about their experiences in theatre

New Diorama – North Star Project

New writing festival of 80 plays to help raise funds for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – Deadline: none specified

NHB Playgroup: read a play for free and take part in Q&A with the writer – Every Wednesday

Nick Hern Books launches Playscript Subscriptions

Nick Hern Books Still on the Page – offering 30% discount on play texts

Online readings with DG Footlights celebrating new dramatic works

Papatango Library & Arts Council Advice

Podcast with Winsome Pinnock and the reasons why her play Leave Taking continues to be revived

Press release for world’s first multimedia theatre discovery platform

Professor Dan Rebellato in discussion with playwrights on youtube

Regional Fundraisers for Theatre freelancers

Resources and events for writers & artists during quarantine from Part of the Main

Sharp Scratches presents Writing in Isolation (Facebook Group)

Sherman Theatre Interval Projects

Smithscripts online scripts available to read

Space Theatre Club – watch a play online and meet up each week to discuss on zoom –Every week

Stagedoor App Podcast (Bridget Minamore and Chris Campbell of the Royal Court’s Literary Office)

Stage Door Live – episode 8 on access and inclusion

Talawa- One on one Zoom meetings for Black British Writers

The Arts Council publish Easy Read versions of the guidance for two of their Emergency Response Package funds

The Goats Theatre Company presents new short plays and poems in their podcast

Underscore Studios launch project to address class imbalance in the arts

WGGB launches FREE Musical Theatre Kit

Women & Theatre podcast series exploring women and work

Writers warm-up every Mon/Fri at 10:15am by Playwrights’ Workshop (not affiliated with LPW)

Writing Resources from The Bruntwood Prize

Online Courses and Workshops

Bush Theatre Masterclasses  – Dates: various (available both in person and online)

Poleroid: Play In – Series 2 (Brand new masterclass opportunities for students) – Dates: various

Online playwriting courses with Rosa Torr – Dates: from 20 August 2020

LPW Online Workshops: An Introduction to Musical Theatre Writing-Style and Structure – Date: 5 September 2020

LPW Online Workshops: An Introduction to Musical Theatre Writing- Starting Writing! – Date: 12 September 2020

LPW Online Workshops: Writing for Audio (4 week introductory course) – Dates: Starts 22 September 2020

LPW Online Workhops: Re-invention: Writing for Zoom  – Date: 2 September 2020  Running again: 1 October 2020

LPW Online Workshops: Playwrighting for Everyone (A 6 Week Course) – Dates: Start 6 October 2020

LPW Online Workshops: The Redrafting Programme – Dates: Starts 17 October 2020

LPW Online Workshops: Making an Impact in Your Opening Scene – Date: 14 November 2020

Part of the Grid July Workshops for Writers 

An Introduction to Screenwriting: free online course with FutureLearn & Uni. of East Anglia

New Online Course: Mastering Dramatic Structure  -Live now

LPW Summer Sessions: Overcoming writers’ block (online workshop)

LPW Summer Sessions: How to write a monologue (online workshop)

LPW Summer Sessions: Promoting yourself as a writer (online workshops)

LPW: The Redrafting Toolkit

LPW Members: Online Course – Writing in Dialect: How to Listen, What to Write –  Available now

LPW Members: Online Course – The Submissions Checklist 

Black Lives, Black Words: Playwriting Fundamentals Course

Papatango Online Workshops

Squint’s GET WRITING and KEEP WRITING online workshops now booking – Dates: various

Live playwriting Opportunities

Listed in order of deadline, followed those with deadlines, and workshops & events. 

With deadlines: 

Play Submissions Helper: 35 Opportunities with August Deadlines – Deadlines: various throughout August 2020

BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Competition open for entries (TV Comedy) – Deadline: 10 September 2020

Silent Uproar – Writer Support Plan for Northern Writers – Deadline: 12 September 2020

Green Carnation Script Call Out for Queer All About It – Faith & Sexuality – Deadline: 18 September 2020

BBC Studios ScriptWorks – Writers’ Workshop – Deadline: 25 September 2020

Golden Idea Productions – Feature Film Script Submissions – Deadline: 1 October 2020

Pentabus CSRC Writer in Residence Bursary – Applications now open – Deadline: 3 October 2020

The Society of Authors & The Peggy Ramsay Foundation – The Imison Award – Deadline: 4 October 2020

Theatre Uncut Political Playwriting Award #2 – Deadline: 7 October 2020

One Last Gasp: Lita Doolan seeking poems, short stories and monologues for online reading – Deadline: 31 October 2020

Traverse Theatre- Opens script submissions Sept 1st – Deadline: 31 October 2020

Sohaya Visions looking for scripts promoting tolerance (prize £1,000) – Deadline: 1 November 2020

Alfred Bradley Bursary Award – Deadline: 6 November 2020

Hope Mill Theatre Through the Mill Playwriting Competition – Deadline: 27 November 2020

Ashland New Plays Festival open for submissions ($20 entry fee/ $1500 prize) – Deadline: 1 December 2020 (or when 500 submissions are received, whichever is sooner)

Rolling deadlines (please note that many of these opportunities are currently on hold due to covid-19). 

The New Works Playhouse accepting submissions – Deadline: rolling

Sapphic Voices are looking for women playwrights for a radio slot – Deadline: none posted

StageLaunch a brand-new website connecting indie/unpublished playwrights – Deadline: not applicable

Eclectic Full Contact Theatre interested in developing a stable of writers -Deadline: ongoing

Work-in-Development Submissions for the John Thaw Studio at The Actors Centre – Deadline: ongoing

Write Protect looking for proven script consultants to work on paid submissions – Deadline: none posted

Concord Theatricals are accepting unsolicited submissions – Deadline: ongoing

The BCG Pro Video Contest is looking for 2 minute scripted video sketches (prize £100) – Deadline: until further notice

The Royal Court now accepting online submissions – Deadline: rolling

London Playwrights Workshop accepting rolling submissions from members – 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

Hampstead Theatre announces year round submission window

Peggy Ramsay Foundation: Grant for writers – Deadline: rolling

Tutti Creative Space: cheap rehearsal space – Deadline: not applicable

Manhattan Repertory Theatre’s Play Production Programme – Deadline: Ongoing

Newsthump looking for spoof news writers – Deadline: ongoing

Arvon Grants available for writing courses – Deadline: none posted/ various

Paines Plough accepting ongoing submissions – Deadline: rolling

Events and workshops:

Bush Theatre Masterclasses  – Dates: various (available both in person and online)

Writing for Radio day workshop for beginners with Fin Kennedy (cost £50) – Date: 19 September 2020