The Jewish Literary Foundation’s Jewish Playwrights Programme is a development initiative for early-career and emerging playwrights. Its goal is to strengthen the presence of Jewish artists, culture and storytelling within UK theatre, representing it in all its diversity.
Building on the success of our inaugural cohort in 2025–26 — which saw involvement from Mark Rosenblatt, Daniel Goldman, Josh Azouz, Amy Rosenthal and Emma Jude Harris — we are delighted to launch our autumn cohort for 2026-27. Applications are now open, with submissions closing on 3 August at 17:00 BST. Read on for details about the programme, and how to apply.
This six-month programme will support eight playwrights through the development of a full-length play. The programme is open to either Jewish playwrights, or playwrights who will work on a play that engages with Jewish themes and/or culture. Through curated in-person sessions, structured writing deadlines and sustained peer feedback, the programme offers an intimate and supportive environment where writers can be bold and courageous with their work — learning as much from their peers as the lead facilitator. The diversity of the cohort, and each writer’s unique engagement with Jewish culture, will be central to the experience.
The autumn cohort for 26/27 will be led by Julia Pascal — award-winning playwright and director, author of 24 full-length stage plays, and the first woman to direct at the National Theatre.
Alongside Julia’s expert guidance, writers will receive guaranteed one-to-one dramaturgical feedback on their script, and will build connections with industry professionals and fellow writers. The programme culminates in a group industry day, where writers work hands-on with a leading director and professional actors to test extracts of their scripts and receive industry and peer feedback in the room.
The programme is free to take part in. All sessions take place in person in London (exact location to be confirmed), and participants must be able to attend all sessions. The application window for the autumn cohort will open on 1 July 2026 and close on 3 August 2026 at 17:00 BST. We are happy to discuss any access needs — please get in touch (contact details below).
The programme will take on eight writers. All sessions are in person in London (exact location to be confirmed), and participants must be able to attend all the sessions and programme activities. Applicants must be available for the full programme.
Dates are subject to change, but are envisioned as:
4 November 2026 Programme opens with an informal welcome evening from 5:30pm – a chance to meet Julia and your fellow writers.
November 2026 – January 2027 – Six in-person evening sessions (from 6-8:30pm), led by Julia Pascal, dedicated to script development and peer feedback, with structured writing deadlines between sessions. (9 November, 18 November, 2 December, 16 December, 6 January, 20 January)
February 2027 – One-to-one dramaturgical feedback session with Julia Pascal.
February – March 2027 – Independent writing time.
17 March 2027 – Peer feedback session, overseen by Julia Pascal.
12 & 14 April 2027 – The programme culminates in a group industry day with a director and professional actors, testing extracts from each writer’s script with industry and peer feedback.
To apply, you must:
We acknowledge that everyone will experience and understand identity and culture in different ways, and are committed to upholding this diversity. If you feel that this programme is right for you based on our eligibility criteria, then please apply.
To apply, please fill out the full application form here, with submissions open from 1 July to 3 August 2026 at 17:00 BST.
This programme is designed for emerging and early-career playwrights who either identify as Jewish or want to write a play specifically on Jewish themes or culture, who are ready to commit to developing a full-length play.
No. You don’t need a finished full-length script to apply — just an idea for the play you’d like to write. This can be the seed of an idea or a draft, and shouldn’t have had a staged performance beyond rehearsed readings, WIP sharings, etc. You will also need to provide a sample of your writing as part of your application — this doesn’t need to be a full-length play, and should be no more than 10 pages.
Yes. The programme is open to anyone who either identifies as Jewish, or has a play idea that engages with Jewish themes and/or culture.
Nothing. The programme is completely free to take part in.
All sessions take place in person in London — exact location to be confirmed. The autumn cohort runs from November 2026 to April 2027, with six evening sessions between November 2026 and January 2027 (from 6-8:30pm), followed by one-to-one dramaturgical feedback, independent writing time, a peer feedback session, and the culminating group industry day. Applicants must be available for the full programme. See the Course Structure above for full details.
No — the in-person, intimate nature of the group is central to the programme, and participants must be able to attend the sessions. It is possible to take part in some sessions remotely via Zoom if needed due to illness, exceptional life circumstances, or access reasons.
If you have any access needs, we are very happy to discuss how we can support you to take part — please get in touch.
Yes, you must be resident in the UK for the duration of the programme.
The programme supports work written for the stage. The subject, style and form of your play are up to you — original adaptations and comedy are welcome. We don’t accept co-written plays, as the programme is dedicated to the development of individual writers. We don’t have the resources to accept musicals, though your play is welcome to include music.
Eight writers will be selected for the cohort.
Rigorous script development under the guidance of Julia Pascal, structured writing deadlines, sustained peer feedback, guaranteed one-to-one dramaturgical support, and connections with industry professionals and fellow writers — culminating in a group industry day where extracts from your script are tested by a leading director and professional actors.
The application window for the autumn cohort will open on 1 July and close on 3 August at 17:00 BST. You can download the application form here. Applicants can submit a video application if preferred — see application details below.
After submitting your application through our online form, you’ll see a confirmation thank you page letting you know that your submission has been received. Please note that we don’t automatically send you a copy of your submission, so we’d recommend keeping one for your own records.
We will be in touch with every applicant, whether or not we are able to offer you a place on the programme. We aim to respond to everyone by 18 September.
No — as a charity with limited resources, we are unfortunately unable to provide individual feedback on applications.
Yes — we are happy to discuss any access needs. Please get in touch with us at and we’ll do everything we can to support your participation.
For any further questions, please contact Charlotte Churcher at [email protected]
Explore our inaugural cohort for 2025/26, which featured Stella Green, Rachel Bellman, Sam Thorpe-Spinks, Noga Flaishon, Uri Agnon, and Amitai Landau-Pope.
This programme is generously supported by the Shoresh Charitable Trust, and presented in partnership with Artsdepot.
