The Lynne Gagliano Writers' Award

Nurturing early-career playwrights

Designed to support and elevate emerging talent, it provides a bursary and tailored experience to an outstanding writer as part of their journey with the Royal Court.

This award is rooted in our commitment to deepening the support and investment we provide to promising playwrights identified through our broader programmes. Every two years, applications will be invited from writers who’ve previously been selected for support on one of our open-access programmes, but who haven’t yet had a full production at the Royal Court.

The award will be tailored around the playwright’s individual needs, interests and aspirations. It can be used to provide the time and space needed to focus on writing, or to offer specialised training, mentorship and experiences essential for advancing their career.

This award honours the legacy of Lynne Gagliano, the former Head of the Royal Court’s Young Court, who dedicated her life to supporting young people in the arts before her passing in 2016. Lynne’s unwavering commitment to the future of playwriting continues through this award, and we are grateful to Lynne’s family for their ongoing support.

Recent recipients of the Lynne Gagliano Writers’ Award include Tife Kusoro and Hannah Shury-Smith.