Are you a talented and creative young individual looking to showcase your literary skills? Wakefield LitFest is a festival for young people aged 14-25 based in the Wakefield District who want to share their love and passion for words. We're excited to announce that we’re back for 2023 with a unique new project centred around the theme of Playwriting!

Take Centre Stage:
We'll be offering 8 local playwrights the unique opportunity to showcase and develop their skills. With prompts inspired by the artistic and cultural landscape of Wakefield provided by local creative organisations, these individuals will craft a short 15-minute play that will be featured at our upcoming Litfest festival.

Successful candidates will receive a commission of £200, in addition to the opportunity to learn invaluable skills through CPD workshops with professional writers and directors. Not only will these plays be performed at our festival in September, they will also be published in our anthology providing lasting recognition of their creative talent!

Set the Stage for your Future:
If you are an aspiring young writer, this is the ideal opportunity for you to develop and enhance your playwriting and directing skills, and gain valuable experience in the world of theatre!

Requirements:
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
1. Aged 14-25
2. Either reside in the Wakefield District (with any WF postcode) or have strong ties to the district

At Wakefield Litfest, we are dedicated to creating a safe and nurturing environment for all individuals. We welcome and encourage submissions from diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences, and any form of discrimination or bias is not tolerated. We believe in creating an environment where everyone can freely express their creativity and feel valued. We ensure that our selection process remains fair and unbiased with several members of our Programme Board assessing each submission purely on its artistic potential.

Application Process:
To apply, send an email to sarah@yew-tree.com with the following:
1. Your name and age
2. You postcode (or what your strong link to the Wakefield District is)
3. An explanation of why you'd like to take part in our Wakefield Litfest "23 Festival as one of our commissioned playwrights (Maximum 250 words)
4. An example of some of your creative writing. This can be a previous play, or scene you might have written, a poem, a story or an article (Maximum 750 words)

Applications close on May 26th, and we’ll notify all applicants of our decision by June 10th.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us via our social media (@wakefieldlitfest on Instagram, or search ‘Wakefield Litfest’ on Facebook) and we will respond as soon as possible. Don’t miss out on this chance to develop as a writer and gain recognition for your skills with us here at Wakefield Litfest!