NEW WRITING
THE SHORTS

DO YOU WRITE?
The Dilys Guite Players (DGP) aim to give all people something positive to do and encourage them to develop new skills and interests. We believe that talent is all around but opportunity is often not. So we pride ourselves on offering unique benefits that many theatres often don’t, and give more expansive approaches to theatre that inspires our community to value themselves, to think big and to believe in succeeding.
We invite talented UK writers or individuals to submit their wonderful entries, which we can then build our festivals and digital programmes around, and provide a fantastic opportunity for people to see your work performed on stage or through YouTube.
NEW WRITING: THE SHORTS
Our New Writing events are performed annually. We welcome pieces that:
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Are no longer than fifteen minutes or six pages in length (one A4 page is roughly one - two minutes of stage time)
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Have no more than eight performers in the piece, but characters can be doubled up if needed
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Have no set changes
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Use minimal props and costumes
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Have been written by UK based writers


GENRES
We are open to writing on all subject matters; however, where possible, suitability for all audiences is preferred. We do look to create a varied production, so as a guideline please consider the following categories:
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Free choice
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Our Planet, Their Future
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Sheffield: Our City History
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Under 18’s Writers: Something Out There
To submit your work, please see the note below.
NEW WRITING: THE SHORTS, 2026 - submissions will open Tuesday, 1 July 2025
How do I send you my work?
Guidelines and Important Notes
We welcome new writing submissions all year round. Whenever we begin planning our next festival, including New Writing: The Shorts 2026, we look at all the pieces we've received, including those we couldn't include in previous years. Submissions for The Shorts 2026 will open Tuesday, 1 July 2025. In the meantime, feel free to send us your work at any time. Just make sure you read through our submission guidelines before emailing it to the address listed on that page.