Cambridge Theatre Challenge

Writers block? Interest in new plays? 10 winning one act plays from around the world, performed over two nights. An eclectic mix of comedy, thriller, romance, mystery and horror in two evenings wherein the audience will be asked to vote for the play they believe to be the best.

You might want to use the opportunity to take advice from our speaker Leigh Chambers from WriteOn about the advantage of belonging to a writing group, or find out how to get published with Stuart Ardern from Lazy Bee scripts.

Our selected winning plays are of the highest quality, so much so that after last year’s performances nine of the ten plays were offered publication! We expect this year’s plays to at least equal if not better that record.

The Cambridge Theatre Challenge is an international playwriting competition, which has been running for two years.

This is a unique opportunity to see the premiere of new work by a group of hugely promising playwrights. The evening includes work from established writers such as 3 time Emmy nominee Arnold Kane to exceptional emerging playwrights like GCSE student Jennifer Sancho.

Previous entrees have come from as far afield as Canada and New Zealand.

All entrees were read by at least two judges, with the winning selections now going on to be rehearsed with a professional cast ahead of the performances in July. Originating at the Junction Theatre in Cambridge, the CTC now moves to The Courtyard Theatre in Shoreditch.

The Cambridge Theatre Challenge is growing rapidly in popularity, having more than quadrupled in the number of entrees from 2012 to 2013.

The 2014 Winning Plays

A Darker Shade of Closure (Richard C Harris) – New Zealand
Baking Bread (Ashley Harris) - UK
Politically Correct (Jennifer Sancho) - Scotland
In a League of His Own (Mark Griffin) - Ireland
Who’s Andy Warhol? (Anne Hamilton) - USA
That’s Amore (Arnold Kane) - USA
Then Again (Marianne Philbin) - USA
Nightwalking: Ladder Play #7 (Frank Canino) - USA
Up in the Air (Catherine Comfort) - UK
The Proposition (Brian Coyle) - UK