Tour the Writer Festival 2026

A day-long celebration of writers, and to explore the future of new writing. 

Join Paines Plough and a host of writers and industry leaders at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry for a packed day of workshops, networking opportunities, panel discussion and readings for writers and theatre-makers.

This is a culmination of Tour the Writer, a multi-year writer development programme led by Paines Plough alongside seven theatre organisations across the country, with a mission to develop and support the writing networks in their area.

There will be events running throughout the day at the Belgrade:

• A Key-note Opening, in conversation with playwright Simon Stephens
• Design and Dramaturgy workshops by award-winning designers, Milla Clarke and Rosie Elnile.
• Turning Text into Performance workshops, delivered by joint artistic director of Paines Plough Katie Posner and dramaturg/editor Gurnesha Bola.
• 2 scratch performances from the 14 writers on the Tour the Writer programme.
• A panel discussion about the future of new writing and touring, with Corey Campbell (artistic director of Belgrade Theatre), Madeleine Kludje (associate director at Birmingham Rep), Somebody Jones (writer), Gillian Greer (associate dramaturg at the Royal Court), chaired by Katie Posner.
• With networking and creative surgeries running alongside these events in spaces around the Belgrade. To be announced soon.

As part of the day, 14 writers will have rehearsed extracts of the scripts performed, all of which were developed on the programme: Dan Loops & Jan Ruppe (from Bradford), Emma Bernard & Ben SantaMaria (from Colchester), Sara Amanda & Matthew Gabrielli (from Coventry), Sophia Atcha & Rachel Price (from Cumbria), Jessy Roberts & Emily Swettenham (from Peterborough), Kayleigh Mai Hinsley & Selina Keedwell (from North Devon), and Jon Nash & Jane Spurr (from Plymouth). The extracts will be directed by Katie Posner, Jay Zorenti-Nakhid, and Josh Parr.

Tour the Writer has been delivered by a cohort of organisations around the country: 

• Paines Plough 
• Belgrade Theatre, Coventry 
• Bradford 2025 & The Upsetters, Bradford 
• Landmark Theatres (North Devon and Peterborough) 
• Mercury Theatre Colchester 
• Theatre by the Lake in Cumbria 
• Theatre Royal Plymouth 

Alongside a host of playwrights, directors, facilitators and dramaturgs, we have worked with the writers on the programme to develop their scripts, as well as offered one-to-one support and masterclasses with a wider nationwide network of 370 writers since the first year of the programme.

How to book:

The main ticket is the Open Spaces ticket. This ticket permits you access to the Welcome Conversation (10.30-11.30), both Scratch Performances (2.15-3.30 and 5.45-7.15), the closing Industry Panel discussion (7.45pm), as well as the surgery and networking sessions throughout the day.

Once you have added the Open Spaces ticket to your basket, you will be given the option to book the Dramaturgy of Design and the Turning Text into Performance workshops for an additional £3 for each workshop.

Please note that the workshops are repeated, so please do not book for both sessions. This means you can book for one of the workshops at 11.45am, and the other at 3.45pm.