Verity Bargate Award 2026 Workshop

Join Soho Theatre for a new writing workshop for emerging playwrights.

This session offers participants tools and inspiration to begin writing a play and encourages first time writers to take their first steps into playwriting.

What to expect:
Gain an understanding of Soho Theatre’s current programmes, its theatre spaces and its distinctive approach to storytelling and theatricality.

In the first part of the workshop, learn about the Verity Bargate Award and Soho Theatre’s heritage of new writing.

In the second part, explore the merits and potential limitations of dramatic conventions, discovering how they shape narrative and engage audiences.

Finally, participants will look at script samples from plays that have been programmed by Soho Theatre and gain insight into the techniques used by playwrights to captivate audiences and enrich their own writing practice.

Sponsored by Character 7, the Verity Bargate Award is Soho Theatre’s flagship new writing award, with the winning play produced in a full production on its stages.

Submissions for the 2026 Award open on Monday 12 January and close on Monday 13 April.

Age guidance: 18+
Running time: 2 hours