With the 2017 winner of the Mercury Playwriting Prize, Europe After The Rain, opening today, the Mercury Theatre Colchester announces Lyn Gardner as a judge of the inaugural Mercury/Weinberger Playwriting Prize.
Lyn Gardener joins Mercury Artistic Director Daniel Buckroyd and Josef Weinberger Head of Plays James Cawood on the judging panel, which will be comprised of 5 leading figures from the industry. All entries to the Prize will first be read by a panel of readers, with the shortlist appraised by the 5 judges.
Announced earlier this month, the Mercury/Weinberger Playwriting Prize is a national competition seeking to discover the very best and most diverse new theatre writing talent from across the UK. The Prize is looking for previously unperformed plays that have the ambition, appeal and theatricality to fill larger theatres, with the desire of getting the very best new work published and into production over the next few years.
Lyn Gardner, industry commentator and columnist for The Stage, said, “I am delighted to be on board. Playwrights need all the help they can get and the Mercury/Weinberger Playwriting Prize is a great initiative to help identify and support future talent. I can’t wait to read the plays.”
The winning entry will pick up a cash prize of £5,000, a publishing deal with Josef Weinberger Ltd and the possibility of a full production at the Mercury Theatre.
The online portal for entries is now open at mercuryweinberger.awardstage.com, and the closing date is 20 July 2018. Winners will be announced in the week commencing 5 November 2018.
