Our inaugural Young Playwrights Award Festival showcases the six plays written by the winning playwrights, aged 13-18, performed as staged readings by professional actors. The Festival will take place in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs from Thursday 10 – Saturday 12 July.
2025 winners and line-up:
Aged 13-15:
Happily Haunted
By Aasiya Nsubuga
Happily Haunted is a heartfelt coming-of-age story about memory, grief, and the friends we carry with us – whether they’re really there or not.
Hello, My Name Is…
by Marcos Byrne
With a powerful blend of storytelling and spoken word, Hello, My Name Is… follows one boy’s struggle to get through the day, chase his dreams and find his voice.
Library of the Imagination
by Leon Chin-Kemp
12-year-old Alex stumbles into a magical library that holds every thought ever thought. When thoughts start escaping from their books, Alex finds himself swept into a spellbinding adventure.
Aged 16-18:
Bad Hair Day
by Sapphire Naggie
Aria’s hair is more than just hair – it is a battleground of identity, beauty, and belonging. From biting remarks from family to microaggressions at school, Bad Hair Day is a bold and hilarious play that untangles the struggles of Black girlhood.
Fox Hunt
By George McAree
In this house, the predators wear smiles. Fox Hunt is an unflinching and surreal portrait of complex family dynamics and the hypocrisy that often turns conversations around gender into a battleground.
Godot’s To-Do List
by Leo Simpe-Asante
A bewildered man struggles to complete an increasingly surreal series of tasks set by his bossy voice assistant. Sharp and unsettling, Godot’s To-Do List is a hauntingly hilarious exploration of the chaos of being alive.
Each performance will feature the three winning plays from either the 13-15 or 16-18 age category. See the schedule below:
Thu 10th July 1.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category)
Thu 10th July 6.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Fri 11th July 1.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Fri 11th July 6.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category)
Sat 12th July 1.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category
Sat 12th July 6.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs
Performances start at 1.30pm or 6.30pm
All performances will take place in a chilled environment. For more information on what this means, visit our Access page.
Please get in touch with youngplaywrights@royalcourttheatre.com if you have any access needs.
Thu 10th July 1.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category)
Thu 10th July, 6.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Fri 11th July 1.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Fri 11th July 6.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category)
Sat 12th July 1.30pm (13 – 15 Age Category
Sat 12th July 6.30pm (16 – 18 Age Category)
Choose a date