- Free courses for first-time playwrights, 16-25 year olds and working class writers
- Write a script to be performed at Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival 2026
- Apply now before Tuesday 25 November
Aspiring playwrights from Hull and East Yorkshire are invited to apply for one of three new writing programmes with local theatre company, Middle Child.
The introduction to playwriting, working class and 16-25 year old writers’ groups will see participants write short scenes to be performed at Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival 2026.
The Middle Child Writers’ Group is a free introduction to playwriting course led by Tom Wells.
Past writers have since gone onto receive paid commissions in theatre, including Marc Graham, whose play Isabelle will be produced by Middle Child next year.
Class Acts is a new programme for working class people in Hull and East Yorkshire who want to explore politics, class and community through theatre.
It features a series of five book clubs, reading plays by working class writers, followed by free writing workshops with five nationally renowned playwrights.
Class Acts is made possible with funding from the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust.
No Dress Code is a free, short introduction to playwriting scheme for young people aged 16-25, led by Lydia Marchant over four days in February.
It’s part of a new Middle Child scheme, supported by the I Am Fund, to improve access to theatre for young people from across our region.
Middle Child literary manager, Matthew May, said: “Our Writers Group is one of the longest running and most impactful parts of our programme.
“Since 2018, Tom Wells has led the group with kindness and skill, launching careers and growing confidence for many in our region.
“We’re delighted to grow our offer to directly address troubling statistics around the decreasing number of young and working class people working in the arts.
“Thanks to the I Am Fund and the Barry Amiel & Norman Melburn Trust for supporting us to get more people in Hull writing, and our co-founders Wykeland for their ongoing support of Fresh Ink, ensuring they have a place to see their work performed for the first time by professional actors.”
Tom Wells is a playwright from Hull whose work has been performed on stages across the country.
His adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG will be performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon this winter.
Lydia Marchant is a writer from Hull who has worked across theatre, television and podcasts.
Her credits include Mumsy at Hull Truck Theatre, EastEnders for the BBC and British Scandal for hosts Alice Levine and Matt Forde.
Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival is a showcase of new work by writers with a meaningful connection to Hull, which takes place every summer across the Fruit Market.
Information about each writers’ group, which are all open to anybody with a HU postcode, is available at middlechildtheatre.co.uk/create.
Applications for all three programmes close at midday on Tuesday 25 November.
