As Talawa Theatre Company enters its 40th anniversary year, the UK’s leading Black British theatre company begins their milestone 2026 programme with a renewed commitment to discovering new Black British talent. Reopening their script reading service shows the company’s passion for finding and nurturing new voices and championing Black Excellence in theatre.
At the centre of this initiative is Talawa’s desire to find the next generation of transformative Black theatre. The script reading service is designed to ensure that all scripts from writers, wherever they may be on their writing journeys, are given the attention they deserve.
Within the two week submission window, Black heritage writers across the UK are invited to submit new scripts for consideration. This initiative streamlines all Talawa’s writing programmes into a unified process, ensuring that every script receives attention and consideration. This entry point allows new works to feed into Talawa’s Introductory Writers’ Group, Talawa Firsts and the company’s standalone commissions, all of which have nurtured talent including Natasha Marshall (Half Breed), Sian Carter (Running with Lions), Cal I Jonel (There’s a Mouse in the Kitchen), Temi Majekodunmi (Thicker Than Water). It offers dramaturgical support and development pathways for artists at any stage of their career.
Talawa’s New Work team are dedicated to identifying and cultivating new Black writers. Robert Awosusi, New Work Associate at Talawa, comments, Talawa is one of the only Black led theatre organisations that holds Black excellence at its core. A key reason why we are reintroducing the Script Reading Service, providing a pipeline, particularly for early career playwrights, is to get their work seen, reviewed and fed back on by industry professionals, which for many will be an important step in their creative journeys.
We are currently facing a lack of support for playwrights across the country, due to continuing underinvestment in the industry. Combined with institutional struggle for opportunities for Black creatives, it’s clear we need an intervention.
We champion incredible Black stories, from incredible Black writers. I’m excited to see who we’ll discover!
Talawa’s devotion to discover outstanding works by incredible Black UK writers reflects their history of four decades platforming untold stories. As the company looks towards their next 40 years, this call-out invites Black writers to contribute to Talawa’s next chapter and future of Black British theatre.
Talawa’s full season for the 40th Anniversary year featuring productions, events and new commissions will be released in early 2026.
Submissions are open to Black writers currently living in the UK, aged 18 or over. Writers of all experience are welcome to submit and scripts must be new works yet to be staged or produced with casts of no more than eight.
Submissions for the Script Reading programme open on Thursday 4th December and close on Friday 19th December 2025.
Talawa Theatre Company
Talawa is the UK’s outstanding Black British theatre company. Our purpose is to champion Black Excellence in theatre, to nurture talent in emerging and established artists of African or Caribbean heritage and to tell inspirational and passionate stories, reflecting Black experiences through art like no other. https://www.talawa.com
