A brand-new playwriting competition launched by Rye Players has attracted an unexpectedly international response, with writers from the USA joining strong local representation in submitting entries for Rye Writes: part of the Rye Arts Festival 2026.
The competition invited writers to submit original ten-minute plays featuring no more than three characters. By the closing date of 30 April, 57 plays had been received, spanning comedy, drama, fantasy, thriller and experimental theatre.
For our small community theatre, the scale and quality of the response came as both a surprise and a delight.
The judging panel praised the exceptionally high standard of submissions, with many plays narrowly missing selection for performance.
The submissions were judged anonymously by an experienced panel drawn from the local theatre and education world. Stephen James John, Artist Director at Bowler Crab Theatre Company (currently touring Romeo and Juliet), brought extensive experience in performance and actor development. Joining him was Arabella Ansar, Head of Drama at Buckswood School, whose background in theatre education, performance and directing gave valuable insight into staging and performance potential. The third judge, Aisling Teodorescu, is a seasoned actor and director who has worked extensively with The Stables Theatre Hastings and a number of other local companies.
The judges were unaware of the identity or location of any writer during the process. Remarkably, despite the international nature of the competition, three of the six selected plays were written by local authors from in and around Rye.
The reach of the competition was reflected in messages received from entrants in the United States. One New York playwright wrote: “I am a Hudson Valley, NY playwright who has been published and produced internationally. I am also a proud member of the Dramatists Guild.” Another entrant highlighted recent productions of their work in theatres across New York, Napa Valley and the San Francisco Bay area during 2025.
The six winning plays – Jam First by Tanya Reddin, No! That Way! by Colin James, The Audition by Lawrence Wilson, The Brooch by Lawson Caldwell, The Window by Barry Crossley and Weird Sisters by Andrew Mayor – will be staged as part of a special Rye Arts Festival showcase on Sunday 13 September.
Production preparations now begin in earnest, with open auditions taking place on Wednesday 27 May at 7pm at the Old Scout Hut, The Grove, Rye, at the Leisure Centre entrance.
Rye Players is now inviting local actors to register interest and access audition pieces via hello@ryeplayers.com
Those auditioning should ideally be available for rehearsals at weekends together with one regular midweek rehearsal slot, and are asked to advise the production team of any prolonged prior diary commitments.
The company is also keen to hear from anyone interested in directing, stage management, backstage support, lighting, sound or technical roles. Rye Players hopes to fill all production positions as soon as possible ahead of rehearsals beginning this summer.
Further information about auditions and performances will be released on social media in the coming weeks.
Image Credits: Rye Players .