The Gate Theatre and Woven Voices are delighted to announce the winner of the Woven Voices Prize for Playwriting 2025.
This year’s winner is In the Remains by José Socrates Delos Reyes, an epic and deeply human drama exploring the aftermath of the 2017 Siege of Marawi in the Philippines. Through the intertwined stories of militants, soldiers and refugees — all victims, all yearning for home — In the Remains asks what survival looks like when both a city and its people have been destroyed and must find a way to begin again.
The first runner-up is Where the Shadow of Her Magnolia Falls by J Min Wang, with All the Beasts of the Earth by Christopher Adams-Cohen and A Burst of Light by Soria Hamidi both receiving commendations.
Now in its third year, the Woven Voices Prize continues to celebrate and champion migrant playwrights, offering meaningful routes for their work to be shared, read and developed. The winning playwright receives a £3,500 commission and a bespoke R&D process for their script. The first runner-up receives £750 and will be offered along with the two commended writers the opportunity to create a filmed reading of their work.
The 2025 judging panel was chaired by Tanika Gupta MBE, joined by Aaron Kilercioglu, Joel Tan, Natasha Kathi-Chandra, Sara Amini, and Zachary Fall — leading voices from across theatre, literature and the arts.
Speaking about this year’s prize, Gate CEO Nicola Clements said
‘The Gate was founded to celebrate international stories and to diversify what audiences see on our stages. That mission feels more urgent than ever. Partnering with Woven Voices allows us to champion playwrights who are redefining what British theatre looks and sounds like – and to open the right doors at the right time. Theatre has the power to change lives, and that change often begins with something small: reading a play, making an introduction, sharing a story. By celebrating these artists and their work, we take one more step toward a theatre industry that better reflects the world we live in — and perhaps even helps us imagine a better one”
Co-Founder of Woven Voices NADIA CAVELLE said “We co-created this prize to platform the voices that are a part of the fabric of the UK, and should be heard, not ignored. 40% of London’s population was born elsewhere and this demographic is by no means sufficiently represented on our stages, and what is presented, is often not made as authentically as it deserves to be or can be. The Woven Voices prize is a proclamation of global, multicultural Britain, a beacon of hope for our community.”
Chair of the judging panel TANIKA GUPTA MBE said “I have been writing for 30 years and when I first started, it was very, very hard to get my voice out. I’m not a migrant, but my parents were, and it’s incredibly important that we celebrate these voices and tell these stories. All of the plays in the shortlist showed bold voice, theatrical ambition and an urgency of storytelling, but the judging panel was unanimous in awarding the prize to In the Remains. Jose’s play confronts the horrors of war with lyrical precision and devastating honesty. In a world where conflict displaces millions and migrant voices are silenced or demonised this script refuses to look away.”
José Socrates Delos Reyes is a London-based Filipino playwright, screenwriter and theatre-maker. A member of Papatango’s Studio writers’ group, his work explores displacement, colonial legacy and the spaces where history and personal memory intersect. Born in the Philippines, José’s writing often draws on his background in documentary and social work, bringing empathy and authenticity to stories of people caught between worlds.
Speaking about the award, José said “It’s an honour to receive the Woven Voices Prize. Thank you to the Gate and to Woven Voices for giving us space. I’ve been in London for six months and I’ve watched a lot of Filipinos on stage, but we don’t have Filipino stories. We don’t have Filipino voices. To see this play recognised is validating both as an artist but also as a Filipino. Treasure the connections that we have and our communities, because that is how we fight against a harsh world.”
