Pentabus today announces that applications are open for the 2027 Jerwood Writer in Residence.
Jerwood Foundation are kindly supporting the programme for a third year with annual funding of £20,000. This includes a £12,000 bursary for an early-career playwright, providing the opportunity to spend between six months and a year writing with Pentabus in Ludlow, South Shropshire. During their time with Pentabus, the recipient will be supported to write at least one new full-length play or piece of theatre, whilst gaining insight into how a professional theatre company works. The remaining £8,000 of Jerwood Foundation’s annual support contributes to the process of identifying, developing and supporting the writer throughout the programme, including accommodation and travel costs.
The 2027 Jerwood Writer in Residence will be the 12th writer in residence that Pentabus has hosted, all of whom have gone on to awards and success.
The current Jerwood Writer in Residence at Pentabus is Rhys Warrington. He was previously part of Pentabus’ National Young Writers’ Programme (2022–23) and his new play MONUMENT is set to premiere in a co-production between the Royal Court Theatre and Sherman Theatre in December 2026, as part of the Royal Court’s 70th Anniversary Season. Previous writers include Sid Sagar and Liv Hennessy (2024/25), Laura Waldren and Henry Maddicott (2023), Florence Espuet-Nickless (2021/22), Tom Powell (2020/21), Sophie Ellerby (2018/19), Tim Foley (2017), Joe White (2016) and Simon Longman (2015).
Key dates for the 2027 Jerwood Writer in Residence application process:
- Application Deadline: Monday 29 June 2026 at 10am.
- Shortlist Interviews 1: w/c 30 November 2026.
- Shortlist Interviews 2: w/c 11 January 2027 (in-person at Pentabus).
The Writer in Residence will start their residency in Spring 2027, and there will be a period of overlap with current writer Rhys Warrington, who commented:
‘Being this year’s Jerwood Writer in Residence at Pentabus is EVERYTHING I’d hoped it would be and more. To have the space and time to dream up and write a brand new play, and to do that alongside such a wonderful, warm, generous team of people, is a genuine gift. I’m already discovering things about the play I’m writing, and even more than that, about myself as a writer, that I simply wouldn’t have found otherwise. And to top it all off, Ludlow is absolutely gorgeous. I implore everyone to apply!’
Pentabus Executive Director Verity Overs-Morrell added:
‘We are truly delighted that the Jerwood Foundation are supporting a third Jerwood Writer in Residence and our 12th Writer in Residence overall. The Writer in Residence is the beating heart of our company, so being able to continue the programme into 2027 with this support is truly wonderful. It would not be possible without the extraordinary philanthropic vision and generosity of the Jerwood Foundation.’
Lara Wardle, Jerwood Foundation Executive Director and Trustee said:
‘Jerwood Foundation has renewed its partnership with Pentabus to enable a continuation of its leading Jerwood Writer in Residence programme which offers emerging playwrights’ valuable opportunities to develop their writing and reflects Jerwood Foundation’s ongoing commitment to supporting excellence and emerging talent in the arts.’
For further information contact Emma at press@pentabus.co.uk.
Pentabus on social media – please tag us:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pentabustheatre/
Instagram: www.instagram.com/pentabustheatrecompany/
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/pentabustheatre.bsky.social
Threads: www.threads.net/@pentabustheatrecompany
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@pentabustheatrecompany
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/company/pentabus-theatre-company
Ongoing Success of Previous Writers in Residence:
Sid Sagar is an award-winning writer who is currently on Attachment at the National Theatre Studio, and a recipient of the Peter Shaffer Commission for the National Theatre. Liv Hennessey was Olivier Award nominated for her play Vardy V Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial. Liv’s debut play, COLOSTRUM, was shortlisted for the Paines Plough Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2020 and is now being produced by Jessie Anand. Laura Waldren’s first play Some Demon won the 2023 Papatango Prize and premiered at the Arcola in June 2024 to critical acclaim, before transferring to a sell-out run at the Bristol Old Vic. She is currently under commission from the Almeida Theatre and Wessex Grove, she was selected for BBC Voices 2025 (North and Midlands). Henry Maddicott is the reigning Hammer&Tongue Slam Champion and Birmingham Loud Poets Slam Champion. He wrote Gwendol: A Giant Problem, a KS2 performance piece which was produced with Pentabus in 2024. Florence Espeut-Nickless’s debut play Destiny premiered at The Tobacco Factory Theatres, then ran at the Pleasance London and Edinburgh Fringe, followed by a UK tour and recent run in Denmark. She has recently written on commission for National Theatre Connections and was a playwright on Pentabus’ 2025 touring show, Even More… Ghost Stories by Candlelight. Currently, she is developing a new play, Blinded By Your Grace, with Bristol Old Vic, also supported by Strike A Light/GL4, Trowbridge Town Hall and MAYK. Tom Powell’s play, The Silence & the Noise, won the 2021 Papatango Prize. Sophie Ellerby’s play Lit was staged by HighTide in 2019. She also wrote To Who it May Concern, a play about welfare and homelessness staged by Cardboard Citizens. More recently, she is developing a new commissioned play with Fifth Word Theatre for a 2026 premiere and tour, and received a 2025 Fringe Theatre Awards nomination for directing Loop at Theatre503. Tim Foley won the Bruntwood Judges Prize for Electric Rosary, which premiered at the Manchester Royal Exchange in 2022, and his play Driftwood was the 2024 Pentabus sell-out touring show. Joe White is a two-time Olivier-nominated artist, having written the book for The Little Big Things, and Blackout Songs. He won Most Promising New Playwright at the 2019 OffWestEnd Awards for Mayfly. Simon Longman was the recipient of the 49th George Devine Award for Most
Promising Playwright and previously won the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme. In 2026, he was also selected for the inaugural Jerwood Royal Court Commissioning Scheme with
Kestrel Theatre Company.
Current and Prior Funding for Writers in Residence:
Pentabus was a recipient of the Channel Four Writer in Residence Bursary for three years in a row until 2017. In 2018, they were awarded a grant from the Clive Richards Foundation to continue to support a Writer in Residence for four years. In 2023, Pentabus secured additional support from Film4 and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation to host an additional Writer in Residence. This is the third of three years supported by the Jerwood Foundation, who have provided £60,000 to fund the Bursary, which includes £8,000 per year to assist the process of finding and supporting the writer as well as the £12,000 Bursary per year.
About Pentabus
‘One of British theatre’s unsung treasures.’
– The Guardian
Pentabus is the nation’s rural theatre, based in Shropshire. We are the only rural touring theatre that is committed to producing new work and tours to communities across the UK and beyond. Our work brings communities and young people together, bringing outstanding contemporary productions with sector leading creative teams, directly to isolated rural communities, as well as platforming rural stories in urban settings. Over five decades we’ve produced over 331 new plays, supported 258 new playwrights and reached over half a million audience members. We’ve won awards and created lasting relationships with artists, venues and audiences across the country, and were the first to live stream from a village hall. We excel at finding and nurturing new talent and have hosted Writers in Residences since 2014. These playwrights have gone on to be commissioned by the Birmingham Rep, Bristol Old Vic, Hampstead Theatre, HighTide, Manchester Royal Exchange, Nottingham Playhouse, Royal Court, The Bush, and the National Theatre.
We champion people of all ages to explore their creativity with particular emphasis on creating pathways into careers in the creative industries for those underrepresented, and people who live rurally under 30. Pentabus Young Company is our initiative offering playwriting workshops in schools, further and higher education, work experience and mentorships. As well as the opportunity to join our Young Writers’ Programme, which celebrates its 11th year, and has catapulted many writers into careers in the arts, with recent graduate credits including Radio 4, BBC One, and Bristol Old Vic, as well as Tinniswood and Olivier Award nominations. As part of our 50th anniversary celebrations, we also launched Pentabus’ first Youth Theatre.
About Jerwood Foundation
Established in 1977 for John Jerwood MC (1918-1991) by Alan Grieve CBE (1928-2025), Jerwood Foundation is a UK charity committed to supporting excellence and emerging talent in the arts in the UK. Alan Grieve served as Chairman for over 30 years and the organisation is now led by Lara Wardle, Executive Director and Trustee. To date Jerwood Foundation has committed over £113.5 million to support the arts in the UK. Jerwood Foundation owns the Jerwood Collection of modern and contemporary art, and an important part of Jerwood’s philanthropic mission is delivered by the Collection through its loaning programme and promotion of a broader understanding, interpretation and enjoyment of art. Also included in the Jerwood group of organisations is Jerwood Space, which was Jerwood’s first major capital project when established by Jerwood Foundation in Southwark in 1998. Jerwood Space is a dedicated rehearsal space providing theatre, musical theatre, opera and dance companies with an outstanding environment within which to create their work.
