Open Submissions Festival 2026
About Open Submissions Festival 2026
A first look at the future of contemporary theatre.
The Royal Court receives and reads thousands of new plays every year, with every one considered for development or programming.
Twice a year, our Open Submissions Festival brings together the most exciting new scripts we've read for a week-long programme of staged readings - offering theatre-makers and audiences a first look at the future of contemporary theatre.
Presented in partnership with Character 7.
Line up:
Mon 30 Mar, 7.45pm | The Briar Patch by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth
Directed by Danielle Kassarate.
“So they’ve no explanation for the gaps or memory loss?”
Dara has learned to live with the blank spaces - the missing memories, the stories that don’t add up. But a discovery shatters the version of her life she thinks she's been living.
The Briar Patch is a bold new play by Ciara Elizabeth Smyth.
Tue 31 Mar, 7.45pm | All Adventurous Women Do by Tanja Šljivar
Directed by Aneesha Srinivasan.
Translated from Bosnian by Aida Spahić
"The contours of our bodies changed without us exactly knowing how where why with whom how much for what when."
Seven girls return from a school trip mysteriously pregnant. Their small community is quick to assign blame, while the girls fight to reclaim their own stories.
All Adventurous Women Do is a fierce, unsettling play by Tanja Šljivar.
Wed 1 Apr, 7.45pm | We’re Gonna Kill Billy by Alex Medland
Directed by Prime Isaac.
"Not that we’re actually gonna kill him though"
Four teenage girls want to stop a billionaire building a marina that will destroy local wildlife and save the world. Step one: kidnap his grandson.
Step two… well, they haven’t thought that far.
We’re Gonna Kill Billy is a dark comedy by Alex Medland.
Thu 2 Apr, 7.45pm | Duppies by Tia‑Renee Mullings
Directed by Mayaan Haputantri.
"The idea is, duppies are like… the part of the soul that stays behind."
Nathan and Nia have finally found a place they can call home - even if the lights keep flickering for no reason. After a series of strange disturbances, the couple realise they’re not alone… and the past they’ve stepped on isn’t staying buried.
Duppies is a haunting new play by Tia‑Renee Mullings.
Fri 3 Apr, 7.45pm | WHAT’S THE F**KING POINT? by FlawBored
Directed by Joshua Roche (FlawBored).
''Yeah, identities work a bit like antibiotics. The more people use them, the less effective they become.''
Matteen’s disability is reclassified overnight. Julia is handed a diagnosis she never asked for. And Beth decides she deserves one too.
Three friends - and a useless doctor - are pulled into a spiral of medical bureaucracy, identity politics and the desperate human need to feel significant.
WHAT’S THE F**KING POINT? is a dark comedy from multi-award-winning disability led Theatre Company, FlawBored.
