The intention of the introductory group is to primarily provide demystified access to the basics of theatre-making.  Participants are encouraged to think about theatre in its three-dimensional reality, guided by the particular passions of the writer leading the group.  Writers who have not already written extensively for live performance can apply to be part of this group as the Royal Court assign places based on potential.  Application is through a short extract of written work.

The groups are a friendly and supportive environment where playwrights at an early stage of their career can explore the possibilities of writing for live performance. The groups are facilitated by playwrights the Royal Court are currently working with and excited by. At the end of the group, group members get to submit a play they have worked on over the course of the group and receive detailed feedback on it. It’s perfect if you’ve got an interest in writing for the stage but little experience – none at all is necessary.  All you need to have is an interest in writing and the thirst to write a play.

The theatre will run three groups – one starting mid-July, one starting at the end of September, and another starting mid-January 2019. If you could only attend a particular intake, please include this when applying. Each group runs for eight weeks with each session lasting 2 hours and generally starting at either 6.30pm or 7pm, depending on the availability of the lead playwrights.  They generally take place on a Monday or Tuesday evening (again, this is not yet confirmed) and take place here at the Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square. There is no fee to take part and no age limit. The Royal Court are generally able to help writers from outside of London with their travel costs to the city.

Deadlines 

Tuesday 29^th May at noon. 

The theatre will let you know on or before Friday 29^th June whether they can offer you a place.

How to apply 

Please share a 10 page sample of your writing. The sample can be from a longer play or a complete short piece – it doesn’t matter if it’s something that exists already or is something you have written specially, but it must be written for live performance. For more information and download the application form and apply, please go to https://royalcourttheatre.com/playwriting/writers-groups/introductory-groups/

Some important points to note:

•  Your extract can be of any genre and feature any number of characters, but must be intended for the stage and not for film, television or radio. It should not be an adaptation of a story from another medium.
• If you are sending your application electronically, please include your name somewhere in the document’s file names, i.e. firstnamesurnamesubmission.doc or firstnamesurnameapplication.pdf.
• Please send your documents in .doc, .docx, .rtf or .pdf format.
• Do not include any other materials (photographs, CVs etc).
•  You can send us an application if you’ve applied before, but please do not apply for this group if you have taken part in an introductory group at the Royal Court since 2005.
• The Royal Court will not be able to send you feedback on your submission and because of the volume we receive, we can’t take late applications (so send it in early!)
• If you have already representation (i.e. an agent for your writing work), this is probably not the group for you.  Information about how to submit a play to us is here
• You will receive an acknowledgement whether you send your application by email or post.