Final week for entries to Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2015 and production news

New productions have been announced for two previous Bruntwood Prize-winning plays, and one previous winning writer. This year’s prize closes for entries at 6pm this Friday, 5 June 2015. The winner will be announced at an award ceremony at the Royal Exchange Theatre on 17 November 2015.

So Here We Are, by Luke Norris, won the Judges Award in the 2013 Bruntwood Prize – it will receive a production at the HighTide Festival in September 2015 and then the Royal Exchange Studio, in a co-production between the Royal Exchange and the HighTide Festival.

Britannia Waves the Rules, by Gareth Farr, won the Judges Award in 2011 and was staged at the Royal Exchange Theatre in 2014. The Royal Exchange Theatre has been awarded a Strategic Touring Grant by Arts Council England for a UK tour of the show this autumn/winter.

Alistair McDowall’s play Brilliant Adventures also won the Judges Award in 2011. His next play,Pomona, opened to critical acclaim at the Orange Tree Theatre in 2014, and will transfer to the National Theatre in September 2015 before a run at the Royal Exchange beginning in October 2015. Pomona is directed by Ned Bennett, who directed Yen, winner of the 2013 Bruntwood Prize, at the Royal Exchange earlier this year.

The 2015 Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 10th anniversary competition is now in its final week for submissions. Writers of all levels of experience have been invited to enter plays, which must be original, unperformed and unproduced. The winner will receive a prize of £16,000 and a full production of their play at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. The competition, which runs every two years, is a unique partnership between the Royal Exchange Theatre and property company Bruntwood.

Two of 2013’s winners – YEN by Anna Jordan, and THE ROLLING STONE by Chris Urch – received their critically acclaimed world premieres at the Royal Exchange this year.

The judging panel for this year’s prize is chaired by Nicholas Hytner, former Artistic Director of the National Theatre. The full judging panel is as follows:

• Nicholas Hytner (former Artistic Director, National Theatre)
• Sarah Frankcom (Artistic Director, Royal Exchange Theatre)
• Vivienne Franzmann (playwright and former Bruntwood winner)
• Ramin Gray (Artistic Director, Actors Touring Company)
• Bryony Lavery (playwright)
• Michael Oglesby CBE (Chairman, Bruntwood)
• Miranda Sawyer (writer and broadcaster)
• Meera Syal CBE (actor and writer).

The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is open to writers in the UK and Ireland aged 16 and over.

Entries opened on 30 January 2015 and can be submitted online at www.writeaplay.co.uk  The closing date is 6pm on 5 June 2015.

The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is Britain’s biggest playwriting competition.  This round will mark the 10th anniversary of the Prize, which has supported the development and productions of a significant number of playwrights since its inception in 2005.  17 playwrights have been awarded a total of £160,000.  There have been thirteen critically acclaimed productions of winning entries, as well as a number of productions of plays elsewhere that were identified through the judging process.

Over 9,000 entries have been generated from across the United Kingdom and winning playwrights have gone on to have work produced at the Royal Court Theatre, Almeida Theatre, on Broadway and in the West End.  It is a significant investment in playwrights and support for new work on stage.  More information about the Prize can be found at www.writeaplay.co.uk/about.