Mercury Theatre Colchester to Launch Mercury Essex Playwrights Award
The initiative, supported by GreyFriars Hotel, will champion Essex writers with a full production.
The Mercury Theatre Colchester has announced the launch of the inaugural Mercury Essex Playwrights Award, a major new initiative designed to champion both emerging and established playwrights from across Greater Essex.
Supported by GreyFriars Hotel, the award marks a significant new investment in regional talent and reflects the Mercury's ongoing commitment to developing and producing exceptional new writing.
Over recent years, the Mercury has been proud to have been able to profile the work of Essex-based writers through workshops, masterclasses and productions on both the main stage and in the studio space. Recent successes have included Flumps by Emma Jo Pallett which won UK Theatre's Best New Play award in 2025, the world premiere of The Manningtree Witches by Ava Pickett in 2026, and a new stage adaptation of Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape, based on the bestselling book by Colchester-born Dermot O'Leary. These productions sit alongside a growing body of acclaimed new work developed and staged by the Mercury, including Martha Loader's Bindweed and Tassa Deparis' Swallow the Lake.
The winner of the Mercury Essex Playwrights Award will receive a full commission, dramaturgical support from the Mercury's artistic team, and a fully staged production in the Mercury Studio during 2027.
Natasha Rickman, Artistic Director of the Mercury Theatre, said, “We are delighted to be launching The Mercury Essex Playwrights Award and are immensely grateful to GreyFriars for their support and nurturing of Essex artists. This Award represents an opportunity that we know is so important for writers – to see their work fully staged and supported in a production. We believe it represents a real investment into the work of writers through an open-door process, which is so important, especially in the current climate. We know there is an extraordinary breadth of writing talent in our region and can't wait to read the submissions.”
Kenny Emson, the Mercury's Literary Associate said, “Everyone knows Essex is a hotbed for storytellers. It's ingrained in our culture. Over the last six years the Mercury Theatre has been at the forefront of writer development in this country, nurturing award-winning talent like Ava Pickett, Martha Loader, Waleed Akhtar, Tassa Deparis, Kelly Jones and Emma Jo Pallett. The Mercury Essex Playwrights Award is an extension of this, a promise to our audience that we will find a new play by an Essex writer every year and produce it in our Studio. A commitment to local talent both financially (the commission) and artistically (the dramaturgical support they will receive). I cannot wait to read all the scripts that are submitted.”
The award is open to writers who either grew up in, or are currently living or working in, Essex. Submissions will be open from 30 June – 24 July 2026. Further details on eligibility, submission guidelines and how to apply will be available via the Mercury Theatre website: https://www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/.
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