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Cascade Playwrights’ Lab
After a thrilling launch in 2024, The Grand Theatre is proud to announce the return of the Cascade Playwrights’ Lab for the upcoming 2025/26 season! This dynamic, season-long initiative invites London-based playwrights to dive into the heart of their craft, connect with fellow local writers, and boldly develop new work. For the upcoming season, we're expanding the Lab with two unique streams of participation — the Writing Currents: Tools and Exploration stream, designed to ignite new ideas and processes; and the Script Development Dramaturgy stream, focused on deepening and refining existing scripts. Whether you're starting fresh or polishing a passion project, the Cascade Playwrights’ Lab is your place to grow, experiment, and thrive within a supportive artistic community.
Writing Currents: Tools and Exploration
The Writing Currents: Tools and Exploration stream will consist of in-person sessions with Artistic Director Rachel Peake and Apprentice Artistic Director Nicole Wilson. Each session will consist of writing prompts, exercises, and facilitated discussions about the playwriting process.
Purpose of this stream:
To expand your dramatic writing toolkit and find new ways into the work.
Who is this for:
This stream is designed for artists at various stages of their playwriting journey — whether you're exploring playwriting for the first time, transitioning from another theatre discipline, or a seasoned writer looking to reignite your creative spark through foundational exercises and fresh prompts. This stream offers a supportive space to experiment, learn, and grow. Applicants must be current residents of London or the surrounding area.
Commitment:
Participants will take part in three in-person working sessions between October 2025 and April 2026. Writers admitted to this stream must commit to attending at least 3 of these 4 sessions.
Dates of Sessions:
- Tuesday, October 14, 2025 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 13, 2026 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 14, 2026 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Note: This program does not include a staged reading.
Script Development and Dramaturgy
The Script Development and Dramaturgy stream will consist of in-person sessions with Artistic Director Rachel Peake and/or Apprentice Artistic Director Nicole Wilson. Each session will consist of progress check-ins, writing exercises, and guided dramaturgy work. In this stream, playwrights will work on one piece of their dramatic writing over the course of the season. This will culminate in a public presentation of an excerpt of their work-in-progress as part of a staged reading in April 2026.
Purpose of this stream:
This stream is dedicated to supporting the development of a dramatic text over an 8-month period. It aims to empower playwrights by expanding their creative tools and critical vocabulary around theatrical writing. Participants will deepen their ability to give and receive thoughtful, rigorous dramaturgical feedback — strengthening both their own work and the work of their peers in a collaborative, artist-centered environment.
Who this is for:
This stream is intended for playwrights who have already written at least one full-length play and whose work has received a public performance, workshop, or public reading. It is ideal for writers seeking a structured, community-driven space to push a new or ongoing project forward. Applicants must be current residents of London or the surrounding area.
Commitment:
Participants will take part in three in-person working sessions and a public reading between October 2025 and April 2026. Writers admitted to this stream must commit to attending at least 2 of these 3 sessions as well as the staged reading in April 2026. Attendance at the rehearsal for the reading during the day of April 27 is welcome but not mandatory.
Dates of Sessions:
- Tuesday, November 4, 2025 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 6, 2026 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday, March 31, 2026 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Rehearsal for Staged Reading on Monday, April 27,2026 — 10a.m. to 5p.m. (Optional)
- Staged Reading on Monday, April 27, 2026 — 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Call for Submissions
To apply to the Writing Currents: Tools and Exploration stream please email the completed submission form along with a 5-page excerpt of your dramatic writing that excites you OR a 2-page dialogue between two characters that begins with the line "We have to leave right now!”
To apply to the Script Development and Dramaturgy stream please email the completed form along with a 5-page excerpt of your dramatic writing that excites you. This excerpt can be from an existing completed script of yours or a new piece you are working on. We want to get to know you and your work!
Submission Deadline: October 1, 2025 — 10 a.m.
Submissions Email: Cascade [at] grandtheatre.com (cascade[at]grandtheatre[dot]com)
Accessibility: Access and inclusion are deeply important to us. For those who have barriers regarding any part of our process, please reach out to us and we will work with you to create a process that is accessible to you.
* Keep an eye out for our Cascade Youth Playwrights’ Lab call for submissions coming out in the new year! *
