The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced six acclaimed playwrights joining its COHORT programme for 2026: Pamela Carter, James Fritz, Natasha Gordon, Karim Khan, Laura Lomas and Vinay Patel.
COHORT is an artist-led playwriting scheme offering these writers the chance to be commissioned by the RSC as part of a nine-month programme of peer-to-peer support, in-person residencies and creative masterclasses.
Created by RSC Writers in Residence Zoe Cooper and Stewart Pringle, and inspired by Sir Peter Hall’s founding vision of a ‘company’ of actors sharing life and experience in Stratford-upon-Avon, COHORT brings together six writers to create new plays for the RSC’s stages in a collaborative, non-competitive environment.
The programme launched earlier this year, with one playwright recruited through open application, attracting over 200 submissions.
RSC Co-Artistic Directors Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans said:
“From the earliest days of the RSC under the visionary leadership of Sir Peter Hall, new writing has been an essential part of who we are as a company, where thrilling new works from the most exciting storytellers stand shoulder-to-shoulder with bold re-imaginings of classic texts. We are delighted to welcome such an inspiring collective of artists to Stratford-upon-Avon in 2026 and look forward to collaborating with each of them as they immerse themselves fully in the creative life of the RSC, expand their knowledge of the theatre-making process and forge meaningful new partnerships along the way.”
RSC Writer-in-Residence Zoe Cooper said:
“Over the past year Stewart and I have had the enormous privilege of being welcomed into the heart of the Royal Shakespeare Company. To be given the opportunity to see the process of making work for the Company’s stages up close has felt rare and special. We have made connections with creatives of all kinds that will undoubtedly go on to enrich our work as writers. These six writers have already achieved so much in their careers, told us brilliant, complex and moving stories. We are so excited to extend the same opportunity of being part of the Company to them. We can’t wait to read the stories that they each write for us and see their plays on the RSC’s stages.”
Stewart Pringle added:
“It feels like an honour and a privilege to be able to convene this first COHORT, and to welcome six such incredible talents and brains into the RSC. Pamela, Vinay, James, Karim, Natasha and Laura are simply some of the most exciting, form-pushing, heartfelt and humane writers working in the UK at the moment. There couldn’t be a better gang to be marching towards our stages!”
The six writers will take part in five-day residencies in Stratford-upon-Avon, immersing themselves in RSC theatre-making practice and participating in masterclasses to enrich their research and writing process.
More information can be found here.
