The Orange Tree aims to challenge, move and amaze with a bold and continually evolving mix of new and re-discovered plays in our unique in-the-round space. We’d like to change lives by telling remarkable stories from a wide variety of times and places, filtered through the singular imagination of our writers and the remarkable close-up presence of our actors.
We have presented new plays by writers in formative moments of their careers. New plays by Isley Lynn, Zoe Cooper, Alistair McDowall and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins have sat alongside plays by August Strindberg, William Somerset Maugham, George Bernard Shaw, Caryl Churchill, Howard Brenton, Tanika Gupta, April de Angelis and Arinzé Kene, amongst many others.
We are committed to discovering and nurturing the next generation of theatre artists through the OT Artists’ Network, the OT Writers’ Collective, and by attending shows, readings, or sharing new work.
OT Writers' Collective
Established in 2013, the OT Writers’ Collective welcomes a cohort of playwrights to the Orange Tree for an extended period of time, with support to begin work on a new project and regular meetings to exchange ideas, discuss their writing, and meet leading practitioners from all theatre disciplines. The Writers’ Collective is run by the OT’s Literary Associate and Deputy Artistic Director, but also offers the writers a chance to get to know the wider OT team. In recent years, the programme has included masterclasses from practitioners including Mark Ravenhill, Winsome Pinnock, Paulette Randall, Martin Crimp and Ned Bennett.
The writers in our current Writers’ Collective are Hassan Abdulrazzak, Azan Ahmed, Martha Watson Allpress, Catherine Dyson, Ben Weatherill, and, in association with British Centre for Literary Translation, translator Lucy Phelps.
Applications or for the 2027 iteration of the Writers’ Collective will open later in 2026.
OT Artists' Network
Since 2024, the Orange Tree has hosted the OT Artists’ Network for professional theatre artists. The Network holds regular events featuring Q&As with invited guests and space for practitioners of all disciplines to meet, have creative conversations and build contacts with fellow artists.
Who is it for?
How to join the network
If you would like to join the network, please fill out the form on this page.
Anyone meeting these criteria will be added to the network and receive updates about events. Once added, you can book our OT Artists’ Network Nights here.
Playwrights ’73
Script Submissions and Invitations
We love to hear what theatre artists are up to, at whatever stage in their career.
We are a small team and, as a result, are unable to accept unsolicited script submissions, but we do engage with as much work as we can by attending readings and performances.
If you would like to invite us to see your show, or a reading or sharing of your work, please fill in this online form to send us the details of the show.
Your invitation will be read and discussed by the Orange Tree team, but we will only be in touch if we are able to attend.
Opportunities