Stage Write
Let’s get them laughing
Stage Write Playwright Development: Comedy Special Supported By BBC Comedy
The stage is set. Are you ready to write?
To apply please complete this form and send a ten-page example of your work to phil@liverpoolsroyalcourt.com
At Liverpool’s Royal Court we’ve got two decades of experience of comedy theatre. Every year, we produce six or seven brand new shows, giving opportunities for new writers to get their first big break. With a mission to put Liverpool Lives on Stage, we do theatre with a Scouse accent, and comedy is at its core.
Now we want to see what you can do to make us laugh!
The 2027 Stage Write programme will be a brand-new edition, a Comedy Special supported by BBC Comedy.
It’s the same Stage Write Development Programme led by Liverpool’s Royal Court Stage Write team with the help of professional writers and directors, developing existing writing skills, however, this year we’ll be guiding participants towards developing a full-length comedy script for stage.
This is part of BBC Comedy’s legacy from the 2026 BBC Comedy Festival, which we were incredibly proud to host. It’s time to nurture the next generation of comedy writing talent.
Over the last seven years our Playwright Development Programme has welcomed over 140 writers, each completing, in many cases, their first full length script. Writers on the course have learnt how to hone their craft, met like-minded writers and discovered how the business really works. Up to now, they have been free to write about whatever they wished, but for 2027 we will host a Comedy Special version of the programme, with writers expected to produce a comedy play by the end of the course. The sessions, readings list and guest speakers will be tailored towards theatre comedy writing, with additional material on TV and radio comedy.
Meeting two evenings a month for nine months, the programme is completely free and is open to writers living or studying in the Liverpool City Region. The course is facilitated by Karen Brown, a professional screen, stage and radio writer and the course is aimed at those who have some writing experience and are looking to move to the next level.
There have been quite a few success stories since the course began. Six writers have had productions in the Royal Court Studio and one in the main house. This year, two of the five shortlisted writers for the prestigious Alfred Bradley Bursary Award are Stage Write Playwright Development Programme graduates. Last year Chrissy Jones won the same award for the play that she developed on the course. EJ Fisher was runner up in the Evening Standard Story Awards. Stage Write writers were also well represented at Channel 4’s New Writing North Awards 2023 with Joe McNally and Liz Redwood picking up two of the three Writing for Television Awards. Ste Mc was awarded the Derek Jacobi award for playwriting in 2026. Several Stage Write alumni have also gone on to secure work in theatre and TV or have been signed up by literary agents.
Applications are now open. You will be asked to complete an application form and submit a 10-page sample of comedy writing.
The deadline for applications is November 23rd. Shortlisting and interviews will be take place in early December.