First Play Club 2026: Call for Scripts First Play Club is The Customs House’s annual initiative, offering creatives of all ages the opportunity to collaborate and gain their first professional credit on a new production staged at The Customs House.
The Customs House is seeking a one-act play with the North East at its heart, told through an authentic and heartfelt local voice. The programme is particularly keen to support emerging creatives of any age and welcomes submissions from writers at all stages of their creative journey.
The selected script should offer a compelling story and a distinctive perspective that audiences will connect with. Plays should have a running time of no more than 90 minutes. The writer selected for the programme will have the opportunity to develop their work alongside The Customs House team, with dramaturgical support available where required.
Writers submitting adaptations are asked to indicate the current status of any rights agreements or permissions. Multiple submissions are welcome, provided each script is relevant to the brief and reflects the aims of the programme. Completed scripts should be submitted to: Productions@customshouse.co.uk no later than 1 July 2026.
Deadline: 1 July 2026
Source: BBC Writers