The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is the UK’s biggest national competition for playwriting. It is the search for great new plays and great writers. We look for scripts that are original and unperformed, by writers of any experience.


REPOST WEEK FIVE- The Driving Question. Theatre as a Gesture of Enquiry by Chinonyerem Odimba

During this public health emergency, the safety and wellbeing of our staff, artists, audiences and families comes first. We are exploring ways in which we…

Eve Leigh- Workshop for the Digital Body

During this public health emergency, the safety and wellbeing of our staff, artists, audiences and families comes first. We are exploring ways in which we…

REPOST- WEEK FOUR- Dramatic Action and Driving The Story with In-Sook Chappell

During this public health emergency, the safety and wellbeing of our staff, artists, audiences and families comes first. We are exploring ways in which we…

LocalTale winners

In January LocalTale, a Playwriting Competition conceived by the Local Exchange Leigh Ambassadors was launched. Today the winners are… The competition was open to anyone…
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