Royal Shakespeare Company Launches Playwrights Cohort

After their announcement in 2024, the RSC's Writers-in-Residence Zoe Cooper and Stewart Pringle have launched the first COHORT programme for playwrights. 

Inspired by Sir Peter Hall’s founding vision of a ‘company’ of actors who share life and the experience of Stratford-upon-Avon with one another as they work, the artist-led playwrighting programme will bring together six professional playwrights between 14 November 2025 and 31 June 2026 to write a new play for the RSC’s stages in a mutually supportive, non-competitive learning environment.

Across a series of five-day residences in Stratford-upon-Avon, the six writers will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in RSC theatre-making practices, meet and develop relationships with artists from across the RSC and participate in a range of free masterclasses to help focus and refine their research, planning and writing process.

With five writers already selected for 2025's programme, we are now opening applications to find the sixth playwright.

Who can Apply?

Applications are open to working playwrights of any background. The RSC are particularly interested in finding voices that are currently under-represented on our larger stages and in the wider industry, including Black, Global Majority, D/deaf & disabled writers.

Playwrights applying should:

• Have prior experience of the theatre commissioning process for full length works
• Have received and delivered at least one full-length commission, with runs lasting three or more weeks at a professional producing theatre within the UK
• Be available to attend a minimum of three paid residencies in Stratford-upon-Avon between October 2025 and June 2026

How to Apply

Firstly, fill in the application form and the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion form. Once you've submitted the form, you'll be sent an email, inviting you to share:

• A copy of your CV detailing your writing experience to date (two pages maximum)
• A one-page covering letter outlining your suitability for the role
• A sample of your work in the form of a full-length play for the stage (of no less than 50 minutes, produced or unproduced)

Deadline for applications: Midday, 8 September 2025

All applications will be assessed by the RSC’s Writers-in-Residence Zoe Cooper and Stewart Pringle, alongside members of the New Works department and a pool of freelance readers.

The shortlisted writers will be invited for an interview in September, with full details of the chosen playwrights to be announced in October 2025.