It is helpful if the cover letter gives us a bit of background about you as a writer (for example, any productions you’ve had, or other relevant experience.  This information is never used to judge your script – it’s just so we can get a sense of where the play is coming from.  If you particularly want feedback, it’s worth stating this in your letter.  Remember to include your contact details! And although there is no necessity to do so, it’s always useful to include a dramatis personæ with your play, and if you wish you can send a short synopsis; these can be useful to our readers.  Though we wouldn’t encourage you to send extended treatments or character analyses with your script. Writers do not need to send an SAE for reply letters, but if you would like your play to be returned, please include an SAE with adequate postage (or an IRC if you live overseas) with your submission.  Please do not send us the only copy of your script, or supporting materials of value.  Any scripts sent without an SAE will be recycled at the end of the process.

A.   No, it’s free

When we have received your play, we will send you an acknowledgement.  This is done when the scripts are processed (usually within a month of receipt), so if you want acknowledgement of the script’s safe receipt sooner than this, we advise that you send it via recorded delivery.  Next, the play is read by an experienced member of our script reading panel.  They report back on the play to the core members of the literary department, who in turn reply to the writer.  You’ll then receive a letter with feedback and details of any further involvement we might like to have with you and your play.

At present, it takes about 6 months to read and respond to a script.  This reflects the amount of time it takes to process each script and assign it to a reader; for the reader to read and report on the play, and feed back to the literary department; for us to process the result, and compose and post a reply to the writer.  We currently receive around 450 submissions a year which undergo this process.

Sometimes we are unable to reply within 6 months, which is our self-set guideline for the length of time it should take us to reply to most of the plays we receive.  When we exceed this, it is generally due to circumstances beyond our control.  We might have received an unusually large number of scripts that month, for example, or we might want to have a script read by a second reader or by the Artistic Team at the Traverse, which adds time to the process (though we will try and inform you if this is the case).  We’d ask you to bear in mind that the literary department at the Traverse is small and that we manage a large number of projects and commissions all year round alongside the unsolicited script stream.  It’s also worth noting that the whole theatre is especially busy in August due to the Edinburgh Festivals.  We’d ask you to bear with us if more than 6 months has elapsed since the receipt of your play and we will be in touch as soon as we can.

You can get a good idea about the sort of work we produce, and the Visiting Company work we present, from looking at our past brochures, which are available from our website (downloads).  You can browse these and read about previous plays the Traverse Theatre Company has produced (look for those marked “Traverse Theatre Company Production/Presents”). 

Or you can see the Traverse’s Archive on the website archive .

We generally ask that you send us only one play at a time.  If the play is part of a larger cycle and that’s important to how it is understood by our readers, you can mention this in your cover letter.

Yes.  The Literary Department only doesn’t read plays which have already been professionally produced in the UK because like many UK theatres the Traverse Theatre generally only produces works which are World, European or UK premieres, but if you’ve had a production by an amateur or student group, you can still send us the play.  If you’ve had a rehearsed (or ‘staged’) reading of the play, we’ll also still consider it.  If you have a play which you feel is right for us artistically, but which has already been produced, there’s still the possibility it could come to our theatre as a visiting company production – if the company or a producer has financial backing for this.  Our programme administrator, Sarah Murray, will be able to tell you more about this (separate) programming of Visiting Company work – you can e-mail her on Sarah.Murray@traverse.co.uk