The Ambassador Cruise Line and PEEL Entertainment Group’s new Playwriting Challenge 2025 announce shortlist.
As excitement sails steadily onward, Ambassador Cruise Line and PEEL Entertainment Group are delighted to announce the shortlisted entries for the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge 2025, selected from a wave of national submissions. With opportunities for emerging writing talent ebbing away, this exciting and innovative award has been created to celebrate and showcase gifted writers.
The shortlist includes playwrights Tony Pipes (The Understudy), Michael Davies (The Seagull Has Landed), Clare Shaw (Mr Sisyphus), Rhys Bevan (The Early Years), James Rushbrooke (Fur and Loathing / Claws for Concern), Huw Turnbull (Venison), Mary Portalska (Nick of Time), Bryan Moriarty (The Splintered Globe), Keiran Lines (Equilibrium), Brian Murray (The Odyssey (re-Told)), and Claudia Feilding (Tea Leaves).
Designed to chart a course for new playwrights, the Challenge offers a unique platform for gifted writers to make waves in the world of theatre. With an overwhelming number of impressive submissions, our judges have been inspired by the exceptional quality and creativity shown across the board.
Susannah Daley, the founder of PEEL Entertainment and chair of the judging panel, comments of the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge 2025, The plays we have received have been numerous and wide ranging in subject matter and style; many of them have been outstanding, making choosing a shortlist extremely challenging. We have had restoration comedies, modern thrillers, Greek styled tragedies and comedies, and wonderful contemporary concepts challenging the way we look at the world. Our audiences at the regional readings are in for some super excerpts and of course the winning performance will play to many thousands of our cruise guests, who we know will be excited to see the new work on stage.
This incredible new award will offer a whole new route for both experienced writers and unproduced playwrights to submit their work. From this shortlist, the winning play will be produced as part of the Theatre@Sea programme which is performed on Ambassador’s ships Ambience and Ambition and staged onboard Ambition in 2025, with the winner receiving a cash prize of £6,000 and a free cruise for two in 2026. The award is the first of its kind to take place on a cruise ship, making new waves for both the theatre and travel industry!
The winner will be announced 5th December 2025
Further Information: www.theatreatsea.com