Marlowe Theatre Writers' Room Festival Returns — April/May 2026

The Marlowe Theatre, home of new writing in Kent, announces the return of the Writers' Room Festival for April/May 2026. The festival features new plays by Simon Stephens (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time) and Penelope Skinner (Lyonesse), alongside work by home-grown writers.

Rehearsed readings include:

• Smelly Bum by Charlotte Khan (30 April) — developed through the Marlowe Writers' Room programme
• Calcite by Eloise Fairley (1 May) — tracing women's lives across six centuries at the same cliff edge
• The Wild by Simon Stephens, based on a story by Mark Haddon (2 May) — followed by Q&A with both writers
• The Landlord by Penelope Skinner (3 May) — exploring love, loss and property in a family reunion

The programme also includes workshops on theatre as therapy, writing for stage and screen, and how to get an agent.