The Summerseat Players New Writing Festival is a two-day weekend festival taking place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2027 at Theatre Royal Ramsbottom.

The festival will feature twelve new short plays from Northwest playwrights, with six emerging playwrights selected through open submission and paired with established playwright mentors.

Emerging playwrights must:

· be aged 18 or over

· be resident in, or studying in, the Northwest of England

· submit one original, unproduced play

· submit work of 30 to 45 minutes in length, with no more than three actors

· submit work with minimal technical and scenic requirements

· submit work that has the potential to be developed into a full-length 70 to 90 minute play

Applicants should complete the Playwright Application Form and email a PDF copy of their script to nwf@summerseatplayers.co.uk

Scripts should be submitted using a pseudonym/alias, which must match the pseudonym/alias used in the application form.

Email subject line:

NWF27 Script Submission – [Pseudonym/Alias]

Key dates

Public call-out launched: Wednesday 10 June 2026

Submissions close: Monday 3 August 2026

Longlisting: October 2026

Shortlisting: November 2026

Official selection: December 2026

Festival: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 July 2027