Writing for Theatre

Person writing in an open notebook with handwritten text, holding a pen in their right hand. The foreground focuses on the writing, while the background is blurred, making it unclear.

Writing for Theatre is a free course for 16-20 year olds with a passion for writing. During the course you will develop the practical tools and skills to focus your ideas and turn them into theatre.

Using exercises, games and creative tasks, find out how to generate ideas and create structure, character and dialogue. Professional playwrights will lead and support you to gain a deeper understanding of the playwriting process.

This year’s Writing for Theatre course is currently taking place. Our next Writing for Theatre course will take place from September 2025.

Sign up to our mailing list here to keep up to date

What participants say:

I was really touched and happy to have been in a space that was cultivated with passion and love by incredibly inspiring playwrights and mentors. I honestly enjoyed every single moment working on the project and I learnt a phenomenal amount. From allowing me to develop my craft and build on my technique, to challenge myself and evolve with such a diverse and brilliant cohort of writers; I had a blast.

I would never have found the group of friends that I made without this. Graduating during lockdown stunted my creative growth and when I saw the course advertised I thought this was a great opportunity to meet like-minded people and bring back my spark! Well it definitely did! Our group have now formed an independent writing group. The support is invaluable.

Recruitment

We are furthering our commitment to diversity and access by concentrating recruitment in three areas that we recognise have been most affected by the events of the last few years:

young people from the global majority;
young people from working-class backgrounds;
and d/Deaf, neurodivergent and disabled young people.

This project is free to take part in and access support and travel bursaries are available to those in the Greater London area.

Writing for Theatre will take place at West Norwood Library in Lambeth and at the National Theatre on the South Bank in London. Therefore, we aim to offer and prioritise places to those based in Lambeth, or who live, work, study or socialise in Lambeth and can travel to both locations easily and safely across the course.

For those based around the UK and farther afield, we frequently offer online workshops and programmes nationally which may be accessible to you – to keep up to date about these opportunities, you can sign up to our mailing list here.

Our funders

The Young People’s programmes are supported by Bank of America, The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation and the Richard Radcliffe Trust. With thanks to the MAP Fund.

The Mohn Westlake Foundation supports nationwide Learning programmes for young people.

Nationwide learning is supported by Buffini Chao Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation, Clore Duffield Foundation, Tim and Sarah Bunting, Behrens Foundation, Cleopatra Trust and Milton Grundy Foundation.

Find out more about supporting our work