A resource for playwrights and writers.


The Royal Court Young Writers Festival runs from 23 February – 14 April, showcasing promising young talent from across the UK.

Music to watch plays by... Leo Butler’s Spotify playlist

Music to watch plays by… Leo Butler’s Spotify playlist

Leo Butler, Writers Tutor for the Royal Court, has tapped into his musical side and created a Spotify playlist for the Young Writers Festival. If you’ve got Spotify then you can get the playlist here. Here’s what Leo has chosen…
Music to watch plays by... Luke Norris’ Spotify playlist

Music to watch plays by… Luke Norris’ Spotify playlist

Luke Norris, writer of Goodbye to All That has created a Spotify playlist for us at the Young Writers Festival. If you’ve got Spotify then you can get the playlist here. If you can’t wait until you hear it, here’s a look at what Luke picked…
Royal Court Theatre Writers' Top Tips. Episode 1

Royal Court Theatre Writers’ Top Tips. Episode 1

EPISODE 1: top tips by Royal Court writers and staff We caught up with established and emerging Royal Court playwrights and Royal Court staff - including Dennis Kelly, David Eldridge, Alia Bano and Bola Agbaje and Royal Court staff Leo Butler, Ola Animashawun and Chris Campbell – to find out what they’d recommend any budding writer.  ...
Toolkit Teaser

Toolkit Teaser

Here’s a peek at the videos we’re going to be hosting on this site and some of the content coming your way…
100 Word Plays

100 Word Plays

The Young Writers Festival is just around the corner, and the writing is on the wall…in the lifts, on the tickets, under the drinks – the entire building will be overflowing with new short plays and we’d like you to write them. We’re inviting writers of all ages and experiences to have...
Latest entries

What to plays to read – tips from Royal Court writers, staff and actors – episode 5

Check out what plays our Royal Court writers, staff and actors recommend you read in our latest video – episode 5!
Reading List - Ed Franklin

Reading List – Ed Franklin

1. ‘Gethsemane’, David Hare 2. ‘Old Times’, Harold Pinter 3. ‘Doubt’, John Patrick Shanley 4. ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, William Shakespeare 5. ‘Constellations’, Nick Payne
Writers' Top Tips Episode 4 - Motivation & Focus

Writers’ Top Tips Episode 4 – Motivation & Focus

EPISODE 4: top tips by Royal Court Writers You’ve had eight cups of tea, five biscuits, cruised facebook for the last 30 minutes and opened a word document ten times. Finding it hard to focus on getting your play on the page? Have a look at this fourth video instalment of  top tips – you might even forget...
Reading List - Zoe (Production @ Royal Court)

Reading List – Zoe (Production @ Royal Court)

1. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 2. Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth 3. Earthquakes in London by Mike Bartlett 4. A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller 5. Venus in Fur by David Ives
Writing Tips - Tanika Gupta

Writing Tips – Tanika Gupta

When you’ve finished a first draft, even if you think ‘this is the work of pure genius’ -choose very carefully who you’re going to ask to read it.   Make sure it’s someone you trust who is going to be able to give you good, constructive feedback and who knows something about plays.  Don’t ask your next door neighbour to read it...

Reading List – Caroline (International @ Royal Court)

1. Translations by Brian Friel 2. Mad Forest by Caryl Churchill 3. The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh 4. Oleana by David Mamet 5. Our Class by Tadeusz Slobodzianek    

Writing Tips – Sarah Wooley

There seem to be two types of writer. The Bob Dylan type who can write about just about anything very quickly (It used to take Bob 10 minutes to write a song) and the Leonard Cohen type (took him 2 years plus to write Hallelujah). I am the Leonard Cohen type. It takes me forever...

Reading List – Tamara Micner

1. ’4.48 Psychosis’ by Sarah Kane 2. ‘Hedda Gabler’ by Henrik Ibsen 3. ‘London Assurance’ by Dion Boucicault 4. ‘The Constant Wife’ by W. Somerset Maugham 5. ‘Blackbird’ by David Harrower
Writers' Top Tips Episode 3 - Where and When...

Writers’ Top Tips Episode 3 – Where and When…

EPISODE 3: top tips by Royal Court Writers It’s always hard once you’ve got that idea in your brain to actually sit down and write it. From bedrooms to libraries to cafes and offices, some of our writers share where and when they find it easiest to write it all down. I’m sure they won’t mind...

Reading List – Emma Shorter

1 – The Homecoming by Harold Pinter 2 – 4:48 Psychosis by Sarah Kane 3 – Shopping and ****ing by Mark Ravenhill 4 – The Permanent Way by David Hare 5 – Redundant by Leo Butler

Reading List – Melanie Carmichael

1. “Wrecks” by Neil LaBute 2. “Pumpgirl” by Abbie Spallen 3. “The Beauty Queen of Leenane” by Martin McDonagh 4. “Philadelphia Here I Come” by Brian Friel 5. “Night, Mother” by Marsha Norman

Reading List – Lucy (Development @ Royal Court)

1. Closer by Patrick Marber 2. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams 3. The Norman Conquests by Alan Ayckbourn 4. Bouncers by John Godber 5. Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth  

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