A showcase of plays that have been developed from our 'First Draft' writers or from submissions sent to our literary department from across the world. These excerpts are directed and performed by professional and emerging talent.

Actors include:
Ian Crowe, Sarah Pearman, Heather Stoney, Mat Watkinson and Christopher York

Warrior Queens by Jackie Daly: a former winner of the Kenneth Branagh Award for New Drama Writing, Jackie’s The Space Between was one of last summer’s programme of new play readings in the McCarthy auditorium.

Razing Cane by Juliet Gilkes Romero: an award-winning playwright and television journalist, Juliet is a Creative Fellow at the RSC and in 2009 won Best Play at the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Awards for her play At The Gates of Gaza.

Mugs by Steve Attridge: freelance writer and director Steve has written for TV shows including Holby City, The Bill and Dalziel and Pascoe. His adaptation of Dick King-Smith’s The Queen’s Nose for the BBC was nominated for two BAFTAs, and won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama Series.

Wilfred in Love by Paul Elsam: Paul trained as an actor at Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre, and has worked widely as a performer in theatre, radio, film and television, including in BAFTA and Olivier-nominated productions on stage and screen. He now teaches, including at Teeside University.

Payback by Neil Arnott: a Scarborian who has written murder-mysteries for the past 25 years, Neil has been writing plays for four years. He won the Yorkshire Script Factor competition in 2017 with Like Clockwork and is a finalist in this year's competition. A darkly comic psychological thriller, Payback is his first full-length play.

The End of the Pier Show by Sue Wilkinson: a journalist for 35 years, aspiring scriptwriter and playwright Sue has worked for The Scarborough News for the past 20 years. She loves every aspect of entertainment from music hall to ballet.

Time and Tide by James McDermott: James was part of last year’s Royal Court writers’ programme. Time and Tide was long-listed for the Bruntwood Prize. James is one of the winners of Hat Trick’s new writing scheme Your Voice Your Story.

Change by Roy Gould: Roy has worked extensively in television, starting as a floor assistant and working his way up to producer and director, on shows ranging from The Kenny Everett Show and The Two Ronnies to sitcoms such as ‘Allo ‘Allo and Hi-de-Hi!

My Mother’s Sister by Kate Brower: Kate’s play Double Feature was part of Screenplay, a quartet of plays set in and performed in the SJT’s McCarthy auditorium in 2014. Her play Slow On-Set Emergency was part of 2016’s play readings season at the SJT.

you ain’t cuz you not by Ben Snyder: Ben’s plays have been produced at Center Stage New York, New York Stage and Film, and at HBO’s US Comedy Arts Festival. He was story consultant forThe Wolfpack, which won the US Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015.