Big Boundless Show Prize

Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Boundless Theatre in association with the Museum of Youth Culture are looking for the next new epic play.

Do you have a big story to tell? Do you want to radically re-imagine a classic for now? Inspired by the pioneering work of the Museum of Youth Culture, the Big Boundless Show Prize is a new commission and development opportunity for graduates of Guildhall School’s BA (Hons) and MA Acting programmes.

The Big Boundless Show Prize will see a theatre maker or writer supported with a full commission and a bespoke artistic development journey. We aim to realise the resulting play in a production at Guildhall School, before showcasing it to a wider industry audience.

We’re looking for plays that need large casts and that appeal to a wide and representative range of audiences. We are especially keen to hear from artists who are under-represented in UK theatre. This includes women and non-binary people, artists from the Global Majority, artists who identify as LGBTQ+, artists who are Deaf and disabled and artists who identify as working class. If you have an idea for a big play that might not get commissioned somewhere else, we want to hear from you!

Boundless Artistic Director, Rob Drummer says:

“This is such an exciting new partnership for us and we’re really looking forward to working with Guildhall School and the Museum of Youth Culture to find the next new epic.  Giving artists the chance to think big and re-imagine or re-evaluate a classic specifically for new, diverse audiences is everything we’re about. I can’t wait to see the results of this commission”

Vice Principal and Director of Drama at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Orla O’Loughlin says:

"We’re thrilled to partner with Boundless and the Museum of Youth Culture on this ground-breaking new project. Our alumni community is packed full of extraordinary artists with distinct and powerful voices. The Big Boundless Show Prize is a unique invitation for them to share their most ambitious idea for a new epic play, and to develop that play here at Guildhall with the next generation of actors. We’re looking for untold stories and bold, radical ideas that can find a home within this collaboration. We can’t wait to work with them."

How to apply

Only graduates of Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s MA and BA (Hons) Acting programmes are eligible to apply.

You do not need to have had work produced but a sample of your writing will be required as part of the application process.

Applicants will also be asked to demonstrate that they have the right to work in the UK.

Apply now by 30 March 2023 via Boundless Theatre website.