Oxford Playhouse today announces six new playwrights selected for attachment to the theatre as part of its Playhouse Playmaker writing programme.

Joining the Playmaker programme this year are playwrights Chakira Alin, Conor Patrick Carroll, Reece Connolly, Hannah Ali Khan, Beth Mullen, and Sid Sagar.

Designed to cultivate emerging voices, Playhouse Playmaker supports artists in developing bold, original theatre as part of Oxford Playhouse’s commitment to creating inspiring opportunities for theatre makers. The programme is led by award-winning playwright Clare Bayley (The Container, The Enchantment, Gabriel), and will feature a number of guest playwrights and dramaturgs who will guide the artists towards creating their own full-length plays.

The writing programme launches this month and will run until July 2026. The group will meet monthly at Oxford Playhouse for practical writing exercises, script development sessions, and one-to-one feedback.

In the summer, the Playmakers will finalise the first draft of their play. The programme will culminate with a showcase of script extracts in the Burton Taylor Studio.

Head of Participation & Artist Development at Oxford Playhouse, Paul Simpson, said:

“We're very excited to be inviting our next cohort of attached writers onto our Playmaker scheme, all of whom bring an exciting range of perspectives and theatre experience. We look forward to seeing the diverse array of stories that will emerge from each of our playwrights across the next year.”