I want to see plays that make you think, that are of our time, that have something to say – they might be witty and entertaining but I also want more. I want my brain to be really engaged. Michael Oglesby

I think it’s amazing that plays can interrogate difficult issues with the safety net of imagination. I want to see big plays that get me to think what the outcomes could be and how the future might be different in these turbulent times. Faith Yianni

I think the human condition wants to resolve or come up with the answer. Theatre is not about offering answers. I want to see plays that don’t know what the answer is so I have to think about it for days and weeks. Shane Zaza

I want to see a story that demands to be told, is told vividly, with strong characters and perspectives all speaking equally. Kate Vokes

Plays need to both explore formal innovation and create emotional fulfillment – not one or the other but both. Kwame Kwei-Armah

A new play can shine a light on the darkest corners of human experience, it can introduce us to new ways of thinking and tell stories that we need to hear. In a world that seems increasingly confusing, fractured and insular, we need the communal experience of theatre and the clamorous voices of playwrights.
Sarah Frankcom

To write a play is a revolutionary act – you are standing naked in front of someone asking them to love every part of you. This is a brave act and why Art is important to the life blood of the country. Kwame Kwei-Armah

Important does not mean all doom and gloom, humour too is vital. Don’t be scared to make us laugh but make sure what you write makes you laugh too. Whatever it is, the writer has to feel what they are saying is important.

Jenny Sealey

The written word