Thank you for participating!
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Submissions Open!
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Thank you for participating!
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Submissions Open!
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Thank you for participating! • Submissions Open! • Thank you for participating! • Submissions Open! •
Brown Skinned Girls
An evening of shorts
For those evenings of short performances, we are looking to hear stories from Black and Brown women (in the broad sense of the term). The plays may be set in any era, they may tackle whatever subject you desire, the stories may even not centre Black/Brown women at all!
We are quite simply looking to pick the brains of early-career, BIPOC/BAME female playwrights from all over the world and get a sense of how they feel about the world at large, or about very specific things in it. Let your imagination run wild, do not be afraid to be goofy, cringey, subversive or unapologetically militant — we want to see and hear it all!
— HHTC x
OUR GUARANTEES FOR THE FOUR WINNERS
I
Involvement in the production process, frequent communication with your director and actors.
You’ve trusted us with your baby, we’ll make sure to do it justice by involving you and consulting you. We will be arranging meetings over the phone and/or Zoom calls where you will be able to ask any questions you have, and our director will reach out to you for any questions they may have.
II
Professional filming of the performances, professional pictures every night, social media ready, delivered straight to you digitally.
III
One ticket for each night’s performance, so you can invite a prospective agent, friends or family members who are from London to attend on your behalf.
IV
A month after the performances, we will make the video of the performances available on YouTube.
TEN SHORT LISTED ARTISTS WILL RECEIVE DETAILED FEEDBACK.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Beginners, dabblers, scribblers and seasoned writers alike, from all countries, are welcome to submit their plays!
There is no entry fee for this opportunity, and this year, we are happy to announce that all four winners will each receive a stipend of 100 GBP. The top three playwrights will also be offered a free year-long subscription to www.playsubmissionshelper.com, the most comprehensive and up-to-date online directory of play submission opportunities available anywhere.
Playwrights must be female, of BIPOC descent, and aged 18, at least.
The play may have multiple writers, but you will have to pick a single representative for your team and use their information in correspondence with us.
Your play should have a running time of 10-15 minutes. This usually equates to a 10-15 pages long document, but reading your play out loud can give you a more accurate idea of its running time.
Your play should require no more than 4 actors and very minimal props.
Your play should be in English, although some parts may be in a foreign language. (If so, make sure a translation of such parts is offered within the body of the play).
The play should be original, unpublished and it should not have been performed in the UK as of the day of submission.
Submissions containing copyrighted material that does not belong to you cannot be accepted.
Unfortunately, we cannot yet accept musicals.
Your play should NOT BE BLIND. The first page should state the name of your play, your own name, as well as your contact information (phone number, email address). The second page should be dedicated to a breakdown of characters and scene breakdown, if needed. Please, ensure your play is properly formatted. It can follow any Writer’s Guild’s guidelines. (This page can help you figure out what format feels more natural to you: https://www.bbc.co.uk/writers/resources/medium-and-format)
The document you submit should be a PDF.
We unfortunately cannot accept more than one entry from each writer, or entries that were already sent to us for the first edition of Brown Skinned Girls.
For our records, and because we’d love to know more about you as an artist and a person, feel free to fill up this form: https://forms.gle/7qeYhdn3gVDaFo7K6 (it is totally optional and has no bearing on the selection process).
Unfortunately, written feedback will only be provided to shortlisted artists.
We will close submissions on December 15th, 2025. No play will be accepted after this date.
All submissions are final. No revisions to the text of the play will be accepted after it is submitted.
Deadline: December 15, 2025
Submit your play by clicking here!
Frequently Asked Questions
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The Merriam-Webster defines BIPOC as ‘Black, Indigenous, (and) People of Colour’.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines BAME as ‘Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic’.
These must be understood as terms that include people of the following descent : Black, Native American, Aboriginal Australians, Asian, Latinx, Middle Eastern, South-Asian, Pacific Islander, and many more…
In order to submit to this opportunity, there is no set ethnicity or even skin colour you “should” have. If in doubt, simply ask yourself those couple questions : Are stories like mine told on big stages nowadays? Are playwrights like me routinely produced? If you answered "no" to both questions, chances are you qualify for Brown Skinned Girls, even if your skin isn't the darkest shade of brown!
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We will personally reach out to the winning entries’ writers via email.
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You should be aged 18 at the time of submission.
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Kindly message us on Instagram, X, Facebook or via email at : info@hepburnhooks.com and we will answer as soon as we can.