The team at Polka Theatre have announced the launch of their inaugural Polka Playwriting Award, generously funded by The Garek Trust, supported by Cockayne and London Community Foundation with Methuen Drama as the award partner.
We have to address the gap in theatre provision for the pre-teen age group
Polka Theatre is one of just a handful of dedicated children’s venues in the UK. Re-opening in 2021 after a major renovation, it presents a year-round programme of shows produced in-house and by visiting companies. Located in Wimbledon, it is a community hub and vital resource, open six days a week, 50 weeks of the year as a sustainable public venue with step-free access, free-to-access play spaces and a cosy and welcoming café and shop. It provides a full programme of creative learning activities for ages 0–12, with over 20,000 children taking part in the last year. The Theatre enjoys flexible rehearsal and workshop spaces along with two performance spaces: the Main Theatre has a 300-seat capacity, and the Adventure Theatre can seat up to 90 depending on the layout.
This Award fits perfectly into their commitment to young people. Surveying the scene of writing for children they found that of all the major playwriting awards open to unsolicited submissions, none currently prioritised Theatre for Young Audiences, with the majority excluding this category. Polka aims ‘to draw attention to the quality, rigour and imagination needed to write for such an exciting audience base’. They hope to raise the profile of writing for the pre-teen age group and champion the creation of new work for young audiences, while attracting new voices who wish to focus on this specific genre.
Polka Artistic Director Helen Matravers said, “We have to address the gap in theatre provision for the pre-teen age group. We are losing generations of theatre makers and goers because work for this age group isn’t being made and staged. These young people fall out of love with theatre because it becomes purely educational and curricular, and we as an industry spend a fortune re-engaging people with theatre later in their teens or beyond, when the benefits are so wonderful and tangible if we can mine and produce the work that really speaks to them.
The award is open to plays written for ages in the range 7-13. Eligible scripts must not have been performed before, unless as part of a workshop or research and development process. They must be original and not an adaptation of pre-existing material. Writers at any stage of their career are encouraged to apply. Alongside the award, online masterclasses around writing for this age group will also be delivered.
The shortlisting process will include feedback from a panel of young advisors who are Polka graduates. The judging panel will consist of Artistic Director and Writer, Chinonyerem Odimba, the current Children’s Laureate, Joseph Coelho, Polka Patron and former Artistic Director, Vicky Ireland and Polka’s current Artistic Director Helen Matravers, who will select the winning script from the shortlist.
Commenting on the new venture, Award Judge, Joseph Coelho said, "Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) goes beyond mere entertainment. Through theatre young audiences learn how to navigate the world and broaden their horizons. They get to become explorers of ideas and themes and emotions”. Supporting the Award, Chinonyerem Odimba,said, “Throughout my career, I have taken so much joy from writing and directing for young audiences. It feels important that we keep finding the opportunities to celebrate the writers and theatremakers that put young audiences at the heart of what they do, and we keep challenging the snobbery towards that work. This prize feels like an important step towards that”
The closing date for entries is 20 August 2024 with the winner announced at a ceremony at Polka Theatre in January 2025. Full details of the submission process and criteria can be found via the link below. The winner will receive a full commission and staging of their play in Polka’s Adventure Theatre and have their script published by Methuen Drama.
