Following a successful debut in 2024, StoryFest returns this July to the National Youth Theatre’s award-winning headquarters in North London.
The month-long festival celebrates new writing and emerging talent, with the 2025 edition supported by STUDIOCANAL and Urban Myth Films. Their backing will enable over 100 young creatives to showcase their work, reinforcing NYT’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of British writers.
Launched in response to an 80% decline in scratch nights for new writing, StoryFest premiered six new plays in 2024. Several of those works have since progressed to further development, including My Brother’s a Genius by Debris Stevenson, which will tour the UK in 2026.
This year’s festival features 10 new plays—six by NYT Members and four professional commissions—alongside the return of StoryFuture, a strand exploring storytelling through new technologies, supported by Microsoft.
NYT Artistic Director and CEO Paul Roseby OBE said:
“StoryFest is our response to the 80% drop in scratch nights for new writers and 30% decline in stories on our stages over the last 10 years. This July we’re celebrating ten fresh voices, including six current members, selected from over 150 StoryFirst submissions. Featuring a comic teen coming of age story on skates, a humorous journey into the darkest corners of the femosphere on a Birmingham bin truck, a commission in response to last year’s riots, and sex, racism and daddy issues at Oxford. Come and support new stories performed by Britain’s best young storytellers.”
M-K Kennedy, Executive Managing Director of STUDIOCANAL WORLDWIDE TELEVISION, added:
“We’re honoured to partner with the National Youth Theatre on StoryFest. As a studio deeply invested in the future of storytelling, we believe it’s vital to create meaningful opportunities for diverse new voices to emerge, particularly at a time of such rapid change in our industry. Initiatives like this create vital pathways for emerging writers to build the skills and confidence to succeed, and this partnership reflects Studiocanal’s long-term ambition to foster exceptional, original talent for the next wave of scripted television.”
Johnny Capps, Joint CEO and Founder at Urban Myth Films and NYT alumnus, said:
“Urban Myth Films are so pleased to be working with National Youth Theatre again to build on the success of Write to Shine, our previous new writing collaboration, which produced an array of excellent writers. Working hand in hand with our partners at STUDIOCANAL and NYT, we’re excited to discover and support bold new original voices from across the UK.”
Among the 2025 commissions is Bin Girl by Lauren O’Rourke, directed by Matt Harrison, set during the Birmingham bin strikes and exploring female solidarity. NYT member Gracie Oddie-James’ debut Fcking White Boys*, directed by Jessica Enemokwu, takes a sharp look at sex and privilege at Oxford University.
The Flip Side, by Shireen Mula and directed by Eleanor Henderson, is a coming-of-age story created with NYT and Compass Collective, a charity supporting young refugees and asylum seekers through the arts.
Compass Collective said:
“Collaboration is at the heart of what we do and we are extremely proud to be an Associate Company of NYT. Working in partnership with organisations like NYT enables us to provide our young people with access to a range of high-quality opportunities and renowned platforms for cultural sharing and celebration. We believe in the power of theatre, and of creating new work, to share the stories and amplify the voices which deserve to be heard. The Flip Side will be our first commissioned work.”
Also featured is THUNDER THIGHS, a roller derby-themed teen comedy-drama by Krishna Istha (Sex Education), directed by Mischief Theatre’s Nancy Zamit.
Six additional plays by NYT Members, selected from over 150 submissions, will be announced in June. These were developed through free writing workshops held across the UK.
StoryFuture, curated by James Northcote, will take place on 25 July and explore the future of live storytelling, including AI and digital innovation.
StoryFest runs from Thursday 10 July to Saturday 26 July. Listings and ticket information can be found here.
