2023 Lancaster Playwriting Prize To Focus On Deaf, Disabled, And Neurodiverse Writers From The North  

The 2023 Lancaster Playwriting Prize will shift focus to Deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse writers.

Anyone from the North of England who identifies as disabled can apply for the competition. There is no age limit.

The winner will receive a cash prize of £1,500, a staged public reading or their play and mentoring. The Lancaster Playwriting Prize is run by the Dukes and in partnership with Lancaster University.

The final judging panel this year will comprise actor Lucy Briers, who is a prize funder, Dr Tajinder Singh Hayer, actor/theatre maker Alice Christina-Corrigan and Director of the Dukes Karen O'Neill.

Karen O'Neill said: "The Lancaster Playwriting Prize is a great opportunity for playwriters in the North to have their voices heard. Creating a space for different perspectives and views on the world from under heard communities, the prize is very important for the Dukes as we strive for creativity for all."

Singh Hayer said: "This is the fourth Lancaster Playwriting Prize and I'm so proud of the way that its shifting remit gives us the chance to be open to different possibilities each time around. It feels so appropriate (and almost democratically necessary) that, in these economically straightened times, we keep seeking out new voices that might otherwise not find platforms for expression within the creative sector."

Briers said: "Each year we've focused on a different group underrepresented voices and it's so vital to find new writers who have so much to share. There's been new work from BAMER playwrights, unproduced playwrights over 55, and LGBTQIA+ from the applying in previous years. Now we have made our focus disabled and/or deaf writers to submit their work."

The deadline for applications is 30th November, with the winner to be announced in December.

Home to theatre, cinema, creative participation activities and much
more, The Dukes is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation that receives funding from Arts Council England, Lancaster City Council and Lancaster University.

The Dukes is dedicated to delivering a diverse and high-quality theatre and cinema programme, telling stories that are relevant, fun, thought-provoking and electrifying. It is also a home for artists to create and connect and a place where people of all ages can discover their own creativity. The Dukes is also committed to reaching out into the community and new spaces, working with partnerships to put culture and arts at the heart of Lancaster.