More than 100 south west based playwrights entered submissions
It’s Exeter Northcott’s first ever open script submission window and the team’s just decided on the playwright who’ll construct an original piece of stage work for the theatre.
More than 100 South-West writers submitted their plays with 23 of the most exciting playwrights being selected for a range of bespoke development opportunities.
These included residencies, skills courses, and rehearsed readings. Five of those playwrights were invited to pitch for a commission to write a new play to be performed on the Northcott stage in summer 2026.
The team recently announced four shortlisted writers: SJ Clark, Natalie McGrath, Jon Nash and Mich Sanderson. The commission was awarded to Rosie Race.
‘I feel incredibly lucky to have been chosen for this opportunity — my first commission through to full production,’ says Rosie.
‘Working in the arts is so difficult right now for everyone and it feels almost impossible to move into the midscale, or sometimes even to keep going at all.’
‘So, for me this is not only an incredibly exciting journey to be embarking upon, but also a transformative one. Exeter Northcott are championing my voice and artistic vision as a writer, and encouraging me to be myself with genuine care and curiosity.’
Rosie Race: image provided by The Northcote Theatre
‘To find a story that ignited something in me’
‘I set out wanting to find a story that ignited something in me, as well as being rooted in South-West history and landscape, whilst being surprising and meaningful for audiences.’
RADA trained Rosie saw her first full-length play Us Against the World open to packed audiences at Theatre Royal Plymouth last year. She’s a commissioned writer by Middle Child and was a 2024 mentored writer with Paines Plough.
She’s also an associate artist with Theatre Royal Plymouth and Documental Theatre and an Associate Lecturer at the University of Plymouth where she tutors in Acting and Physical Performance.
‘Once we decided to launch an annual script submission window, it felt important to set the precedent that there is absolutely a pathway from unsolicited submissions to our stage, if we felt the writer was a good fit,’ says Sam Parker, Exeter Northcott Artist Development Producer.
‘What was so exciting about the plays sent to us was that there were clearly several South-West writers creating work at an exceptional level. So much so that we drew up a process in which each of them could pitch for a main-stage commission.’
‘Taking just one writer forward was painstaking. But ultimately Rosie’s visual clarity, formal inventiveness and understanding of our audiences set her pitch apart.’
Breaktime News has previously reported on The Northcote Theatre’s week-long celebration of women in the arts which took place at their city centre Barnfield Theatre in June.
