Every year, we invite anyone with an idea for a play to send us their script through our Open Submissions window.

This year, 6 scripts have been selected from over 400 submissions to receive dramaturgical support with the aim of helping the writers develop their plays.

This culminates in our first-ever First Stages Festival featuring script-in-hand readings of the selected plays, showcasing them to industry professionals and Traverse audiences alike. Each evening will be followed by a Q&A.

This festival is a celebration of the Traverse’s commitment to nurturing and supporting new voices. The festival programme also includes writing workshops, panel discussions and networking opportunities.

Come in, we’re open!

Supported by The Noël Coward Foundation

• Blessed by Natalie McGrath

As women in a war zone fight to stay alive, the night sky is lit up by a relentless bombardment above, conjuring up memories and fragments of love, loss and resistance.

• Exquisite Corpse by Conor O’Loughlin

Following a grim discovery at their workplace, a theme park attendant and her manager find themselves faced with an impossible choice.