Royal Court Theatre reveals Spring Open Submissions Festival line-up

The Royal Court Theatre in London has announced the line-up for its second Open Submissions Festival.

The Festival, which is now in its second year and will become a twice-yearly event, showcases the most distinctive and exciting new plays received by the Royal Court as part of its year-round commitment to open script submissions.

The Festival runs from 30 March to 3 April 2026, supported by Character 7 (The Night Manager), and will feature plays selected from over 3,500 scripts.

The spring 2026 Open Submissions Festival of plays and writers are:

The Briar Patch by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth, directed by Danielle Kassarate
All Adventurous Women Do by Tanja Šljivar, directed by Aneesha Srinivasan
We’re Gonna Kill Billy by Alex Medland, directed by Prime Isaac
Duppies by Tia‑Renee Mullings, directed by Mayaan Haputantri
What’s The F**king Point by ensemble company FlawBored, directed by Josh Roche

Royal Court Theatre Open Submissions Festival 2026

Writers receive paid development support and a critical platform for their work through the Open Submissions programme.

The Festival is running during the Royal Court’s landmark 70th birthday celebrations on Thursday 2 April 2026.

Gillian Greer, Associate Playwright and Senior Dramaturg, said in a statement: “Our inaugural Open Submissions Festival was an enormous success. With Jack Nicholls’ The Shitheads and Rhys Warrington’s Monument both receiving full productions following successful readings, the Open Submissions Festival is fast becoming a key driver for plays making their way to our stages.”

Tickets for the Festival are now on sale.

More about the shows featured in the Royal Court’s 2026 Season

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Main photo: Royal Court Open Submissions Festival