Empowering the next jazz generation in Wales: RWCMD launches National Youth Jazz Wales partnership
Read more
News
NEW ‘25: Working with some of the UK’s most exciting contemporary voices
The Royal Welsh College’s NEW writing festival commissions four new plays each year, empowering its students as the next generation of creatives collaborating with some of the UK’s top creative talent.
The Royal Welsh College’s NEW writing festival commissions four new plays each year, empowering its students as the next generation of creatives, collaborating with some of the UK’s top creative talent.
This year’s season, which premieres in Cardiff before transferring to London’s Young Vic theatre, speaks to the world today, focusing on human endeavour versus political challenges.
RWCMD: 30 May – 5 June, London’s Young Vic Theatre: 11 – 21 June
Expect fresh voices, thrilling stories, and the future of theatre - now
Now in its second decade, NEW is a unique initiative that brings together some of the UK’s leading theatre-makers to work with its acting, design and technical students and deliver ambitious and innovative writing.
NEW ‘25: Samuel Bailey working with director Ned Bennett, Vivienne Franzmann with director Lucy Morrison, Dipo Baruwa-Etti, directed by Zoë Templeman Young, in collaboration with Paines Plough, and Lisa Parry, directed by Sara Lloyd, in collaboration with the Sherman Theatre.
‘Working with some of the most exciting contemporary voices currently working in the UK, our students collaborate with practitioners at the forefront of their industry.
It gives our emerging artists an extraordinary learning opportunity while offering established practitioners a supported, creatively open space to explore new ideas.
No other drama school commissions on this scale or is working with this breadth of writing talent, contributing a diverse and provocative body of work for a new generation of performers.
Expect fresh voices, thrilling stories, and the future of theatre - now.’Jonathan MunbyDirector of Drama Performance
'We are incredibly excited to be hosting the RWCMD’s festival: the ingenious combination of some of the UKs most exciting directors and playwrights working together with the College's talented young actors promises to be a dynamite collaboration.
I’m certain we’re going to witness some very powerful new theatre as a result. 'Nadia FallArtistic Director, Young Vic Theatre
NEW ’25: speaking to the world today
With the continued support of Paines Plough and the Sherman Theatre, NEW has produced over 44 plays since its first season in 2014, putting RWCMD and Wales on the map for new theatre writing, and helping to shape the future of theatre:
‘We’re so excited to link up again with RWCMD to create this new piece with Dipo Baruwa-Etti, whose voice we’ve admired for a long time. Paines Plough and RWCMD have always been about giving space for the best new writing and for emerging artists to grow, and this shared goal comes alive every year at the indispensable NEW Festival.
We can’t wait to see this year’s cohort flourish under the spell of Dipo’s words and Zoë's direction.’Charlotte Bennett and Katie PosnerPaines Plough’s Joint Artistic Directors
‘An Armed Robbery in a Petrol Station off the A38’ by Samuel Bailey, whose debut sell-out play, ‘Shook’, won The Times Breakthrough Award in 2021, shows the struggles of everyday life when the unexpected occurs.
Director Ned Bennett, returns to NEW having directed one of its first plays in 2014.
‘Into the Light’ is by the award-winning playwright Vivienne Franzmann, who has worked as a Resident Playwright working in women’s prisons, secure mental health and community settings.
Directed by Lucy Morrison, previously Associate Director at the Royal Court, it interweaves a series of vignettes into a patchwork of contemporary stories.
‘Children of the West’ by playwright, poet and filmmaker Dipo Baruwa-Etti is a grounded dystopian drama, exploring love, parenthood, and free will.
It’s directed by Zoë Templeman-Young, a former Jerwood Assistant Director at the Young Vic, and produced in partnership with Paines Plough.
Both Dipo and Zoë are current shortlisted directors for the 2025 JMK Award celebrating enterprise, vision and inspiration.
‘Salem,’ the Sherman Theatre collaboration is written by playwright, screenwriter and audio writer Lisa Parr and directed by Sara Lloyd, former Associate Director at Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru.
It dramatises a true Welsh story, exploring the decolonisation of Welsh art, and underlines the question, can we prescribe a work of art’s meaning.
Press images here: NEW Cardiff image.jpg
Following NEW ‘25 the College's Design for Performance exhibition, 'Balance' opens in its Linbury Gallery 18-24 June, and at Young Vic from 1 - 4 July, celebrating the work of both the individual creative design practitioner and the collaborative artist.
'Balance' showcases the work of graduating designers and stage management students, featuring designs created in the last two years for productions, projects and films.
Editor’s Notes
‘An Armed Robbery in a Petrol Station off the A38’
Writer Samuel Bailey Director Ned Bennett
RWCMD:
Sat 31 May, Wed 4 Jun, 2pm/Tue 3, Thu 5 Jun, 7pm
Young Vic Theatre:
Wed 11, Fri 13 June, 2pm/Thu 12, Sat 14 June, 6pm
‘Salem’
Writer Lisa Parry Director Sara Lloyd
In collaboration with Sherman Theatre
RWCMD
Tue 3, Thu 5 Jun, 2pm/Sat 31 May, Wed 4 Jun, 7pm
Young Vic Theatre:
Thu 12, Sat 14 June, 2pm/Wed 11, Fri 13 June, 6pm
‘Children of the West’
Writer Dipo Baruwa-Etti Director Zoë Templeman-Young
In collaboration with Paines Plough
RWCMD:
Sat 31 May, Tue 3 Jun, 2.15pm/Fri 30 May, Mon 2 Jun, 7.15pm.
Young Vic Theatre:
Wed 18 & Fri 20 Jun, 2pm/Thu 19 & Sat 21 Jun, 6pm
‘Into the Light’
Writer Vivienne Franzmann Director Lucy Morrison
RWCMD:
Fri 30 May, Mon 2 Jun, 2.15pm/Sat 31 May, Tue 3 Jun, 7.15pm.
Young Vic Theatre:
Wed 18, Fri 20 Jun, 6pm/Thu 19, Sat 21 Jun, 2pm
About the Richard Burton Company
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama’s inhouse theatre company, the Richard Burton Company, is made up of actors, stage managers, theatre designers and musical theatre performers in their final year of training at the College. As one of Wales’ most prolific repertory companies, it reimagines classics through a modern lens, and presents contemporary drama, new writing and musical theatre that reflects society today. Staging productions each year to both Cardiff and London audiences, it empowers its students as creatives, working with some of the UK's best theatre makers and industry leaders with a professional focus.
About the Young Vic Theatre
Founded in 1970 as a space for world-premiere productions and unexpected takes on classic plays that speak urgently to our present, the Young Vic Theatre has been one of London’s leading theatres for more than fifty years.
Welcoming more than 100,000 visitors a year to its London Waterloo location, the Young Vic stands out in the city’s cultural landscape for balancing daring commercial drive, success and artistic flair with genuine grassroots social impact change in our neighbourhood. We forge deep connections in our neighbourhood through our Taking Part programme, where we engage with over 15,000 people every year via a wide range of projects, from skills-based workshops to on-stage performances. We give 10% of our tickets free to schools and neighbours, irrespective of box office demand, and we are committed to keeping ticket prices low.
The Young Vic’s Creators Program is our space for multi- and anti-disciplinary artists, and is the only scheme of its kind. Launched in 2001, and formerly known as the Directors Program, we offer artists and producers a unique opportunity to develop their craft through free workshops, events, assistantships and chances to make work. The Creators Program Network provides an online community to over 2,500 artists and producers.
Built upon the principles of access, innovation, and community, the Young Vic is deepening its roots nationally and internationally. Recent transfers include Death of a Salesman and The Collaboration on Broadway, and Punch, Best of Enemies and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! in the West End.
The Young Vic’s founding spirit is iconoclastic and pushing at the forefront of possibility, bringing together artists and audiences on a global scale and using the power of stories to change our world.
Paines Plough
Paines Plough is a touring theatre company led by Joint Artistic Directors Charlotte Bennett and Katie Posner. Dedicated entirely to new writing, we discover, develop and empower writers and share their unique new stories with audiences all over the UK and beyond.
Founded in 1974, we have worked with over 500 playwrights including James Graham, Sarah Kane, Nathan Bryon, Kae Tempest, Vinay Patel, Mike Bartlett, Chloë Moss, Dennis Kelly, Zia Ahmed and Anna Jordan. Our plays are nationally discovered and locally heard. Each year, we tour our shows to over 30,000 people and work with 400 writers through our nationwide, multi-year writer development programme, Tour The Writer.
In 2019, alongside Ellie Keel, we co-founded the Women’s Prize for Playwriting to redress the imbalance of stories being told on our national stages, and we have co-produced and toured two of the winners so far: 'Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me' by Amy Trigg and 'You Bury Me' by Ahlam.
In 2024-25, the company celebrates 50 years of discovering writers and bringing new plays to audiences with James Graham announced as its new Patron.
