Entries Open For RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award 2025

The Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST) and Mercury Theatre, Colchester have announced that the 2025 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award Scheme is now open for entries.

Now in its ninth year, this prestigious Award – which honours the memory of RTST co-founder, Sir Peter Hall – offers the winner their first-time opportunity to direct a fully realised, mid-scale production of a classic or modern play in a British regional theatre and to take it on tour.

The 2025 Award-winner will win the opportunity to create a brand-new production on the main stage at Mercury Theatre in Colchester in a co-production with Rose Theatre in Kingston and Storyhouse in Chester. The production will open in September 2026 as part of Mercury Theatre's autumn season and then tour to the Rose Theatre and Storyhouse.

The RTST will make a grant of £60,000 to support the costs of the production.

The Award promotes the RTST's charitable objectives by supporting up-and-coming directors and British regional theatres. It is also intended to appeal to a wide range of candidates and to play a part in promoting diversity in the theatre, onstage, offstage and among audiences.

The winning director will demonstrate exceptional directing skills and a passion for regional theatre, and will be chosen by a distinguished panel comprising Chair, Natasha Rickman, Artistic Director of Mercury Theatre; Roger Allam, actor; Robin Belfield, director, writer and Associate Director of The Unicorn Theatre; Christopher Haydon, Artistic Director of Rose Theatre; Simon Kenny, theatre designer, Anne Odeke, playwright & actor; Helen Redcliffe, Head of Producing at Storyhouse and; Ian Rickson, director.

Sir Geoffrey Cass, RTST Chairman, said today, “We're thrilled to be running the 2025 Award with Mercury Theatre in Colchester, and delighted they'll be working with Rose Theatre in Kingston and Storyhouse in Chester to co-produce the winner's production for the benefit of their local audiences. The Award – this is our ninth – continues to serve our allied objectives of promoting the country's finest rising directing talent and supporting excellent British regional theatres.“

Mark Hawes, Director of the RTST commented: “We're proud that, once again, our unique Award and associated grant will be the catalyst for a regional touring production directed by the winner who will be making their mid-scale directing debut.  The opportunity conferred on the winner is truly career-transformative.  But the Award is not “all about the winner”.  For those who reach an advanced stage in the selection process, the Award gives valuable professional experience, recognition and connections – many directors have reported that this has opened doors for them. Our last winner won on her sixth attempt, yet she reported that, even in the “unsuccessful years”, the connections that the RTST enabled her to make helped her grow and brought her work.”

Natasha Rickman, Artistic Director of Mercury Theatre commented, “The RTST is a rare and career-changing opportunity for a director, and we are incredibly proud to be hosting the 2025 award here in Colchester. The award encompasses everything we love here at the Mercury – exciting, high quality theatre, artists making strides in the next stages of their career, and the opportunity to collaborate with our friends in Kingston and Chester, as well as the fantastic team at the RTST. I hope that any director who is eligible, sends in an application, and I can't wait to meet the incredible cohort of artists that apply.”

The winner of the 2024 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award was Tanuja Amarasuriya, with Hannah Stone and Jasmine Teo as the joint runners-up. As the 2024 Award-winner, Tanuja is to direct Private Lives by Nöel Coward in September 2025 as part of the main season of plays to be staged on the main stage at the Octagon Theatre in Bolton before touring to Mercury Theatre, Rose Theatre, Northern Stage and Bristol Old Vic. The production is a co-production between The Octagon, Rose Theatre and Mercury Theatre in association with Northern Stage.  Other past Award winners and official runners-up of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award are detailed in the Notes to Editors below.

Entries for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award Scheme 2025 are now open.

The Award is open to UK permanent residents aged 18+ and candidates must be able to demonstrate a professional track record as a director. To apply, candidates are required to submit ideas for directing a play of their choosing (complying to certain criteria).  Shortlisted candidates are required to participate in directing workshops with actors in order to demonstrate their directorial skills.  Finalists are interviewed. 

The 2025 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award opens for entries on Thursday, 10 July 2025 and the closing date for entries is 6.00pm on Monday, 1 September 2025.

For further details of the Award, please visit the 2025 Award page of the RTST's website: www.rtst.org.uk.