Open Submissions is one of the key ways that we engage with local playwrights.  

Whilst it’s very rare for a play to be programmed directly from the Open Submissions process, it can be the beginning of a relationship that starts the journey to our stage. 

As well as guaranteed written feedback for all writers who send us a script, possible outcomes might include: 

• a meeting with our New Works Associate 

• dramaturgical support 

• signposting to other New Works pathways (e.g. Seed Commissions or Playwrights’ Programme). 

The Everyman is a home for stories of this city, and also a space to hold the conversations that are important for our communities here – whether the play is set locally or not.

Above all, we want to stage thrilling, big-hearted, bold, forward-thinking theatre that ignites the imagination and asks big questions of the here and now.

That can take many different forms, which means there’s a huge variety of things that might excite us in a play or a writer – what’s important is clarity of intent. We should be able to read your work and really get a sense of who you are as an artist, and what’s energising you. 

We’re looking for playwrights who: 

• create vibrant characters with complex relationships and distinctive voices

• craft emotionally and intellectually stimulating narratives with a distinct outlook on the world 

• engage robustly with their subjects and themes, and harness the full potential of their form and/or genre
• write stories of or for this city, that demand to be experienced live by our communities.

If you want get a sense of the recent new work we’ve produced, many of the scripts are available to read in the Writers’ Room at the Everyman. 

We have some eligibility criteria for submission. Plays must be: 

• by writers either from or currently living in Liverpool City Region (i.e. the boroughs of Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral) 

• written for stage (i.e. not film, TV or radio scripts, or poetry/prose) 

• original works (i.e. not adaptations of novels or existing plays) 

• full-length (i.e. 60mins of playing time or over) 

• unproduced (i.e. not staged in a full production – scratches or sharings are fine) 

We can also only accept one play per writer. 

We do accept musicals, but can only assess their book and lyrics rather than listening to composition. 

After you complete a short online form to submit your script, you’ll get a confirmation of submission. 

We will then share scripts out between the Artistic team and our reading panel.  

The scripts are read in two rounds: 

• Round One. We read approximately 1/3 of the script (or up to 25 pages), and put scripts forward which meet our aims for new work. 

• Round Two. Scripts are read in full, and then discussed by the team. Recommendations for are made for how we should engage with each writer and script. 

We contact each writer individually with readers’ responses to the script, and to arrange any next steps. 

We aim to contact all writers in September, but will let you know if this timeline changes. 

We aren’t able to offer everything to everyone, so we tailor next steps according to how closely the scripts meet our creative aims for new work at the Everyman. 

If we’re interested in a particular script, that’s when we might offer time in the Writers’ Room and dramaturgy from our New Works Associate – to assess its potential for programming consideration. 

More often, a script may not quite be right for our in-house programme, but the writer’s voice or approach excites us and we think there may be another way of working together. In these cases, we’ll arrange a meeting, perhaps signpost other pathways (e.g. Seed Commissions or Playwrights’ Programme), and take it from there. 

Of course, all our decision-making is highly subjective, and there are many plays and writers which are completely brilliant, but just not quite right for us. 

Outside of our script windows, we are always looking to establish new relationships with talented writers and theatre makers in Liverpool and the North West. So, if that’s you and you’d like to tell us about your work, please do get in touch at newworks@everymanplayhouse.com.  

We won’t necessarily be able to read a full script or offer feedback outside of our script windows, but we are always happy to hear from you. 

We currently have more interested script readers than available places on the panel, but do try to refresh our panel each year.

If you’d like to be considered for future submission windows, please email newworks@everymanplayhouse.com with your CV, and we’ll put it on file.

If anything about the process is unclear, or you have specific questions that aren’t answered here, you can book a quick online call to get the answers you’re looking for.

These 10-15min informal video calls with our New Works Associate, Tommo, are available in blocks throughout the submission window and bookable here.