Life in a Northern Town
A free creative writing opportunity for 18 – 25 year olds in Yorkshire
Life in a Northern Town is about giving young people in Yorkshire the space to get creative, express themselves, and share what’s important. Participants can write about whatever excites them – the stories they care about, their community, their experiences.
With the support of professional theatre makers, we give young people all the skills needed to bring ideas to the stage, including creating characters, shaping plots and writing dialogue.
Here’s what participants get in the programme:
- Time and space to create your own play, supported by a professional theatre company
- Fun and friendly interactive online workshops led by experienced writers
- The opportunity to attend a free in-person writing retreat at Lumb Bank, from 13 – 15 February 2026 (Lumb Bank is an 18th-century millowners house in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire which once belonged to poet Ted Hughes)
- A script-sharing event where your writing will come to life, performed by professional actors
- The chance to be part of a supportive group of like-minded young writers, sharing and learning together with peers across the North
Life in a Northern Town is a partnership between Northern Broadsides, The Grand Theatre Blackpool and The Customs House South Shields.
Session dates 2025
Online sessions, 6pm-8pm:
- Tuesday 14 October
- Monday 20 October
- Tuesday 4 November
- Tuesday 11 November
- Tuesday 18 November
- Tuesday 25 November
In-person writing residency at Lumb Bank:
- Friday 13 – Sunday 15 February 2026
Following this stage, there will be the opportunity to continue working with us on a full-length script via workshops and 1-2-1 mentoring.
In previous years, participants have worked with playwrights including Simon Stephens, Chris Thorpe, Sophie Swithinbank, Sarah Woods, Lisa Holdsworth and Maria Ferguson. Best of all, it’s completely free, mostly online, and designed to fit around busy lives. Participants don’t need any experience or qualifications, just a passion for storytelling.
Participant testimonials
"I finally feel unashamed..."
“I finally feel completely unashamed in calling myself a writer. Coming from a place of being told I couldn’t be a playwright, this has been invaluable. I felt comfortable and at my creative home from the get go.”
“I just gained so much inspiration..."
“I just gained so much inspiration from hearing other people’s ideas, and listening to their writing. It was just fantastic to be around like minded people, hearing about their processes. It was also amazing to hear and be in a space where I was able to connect with industry professionals in a relaxed atmosphere.”
Carmen Nasr
Workshop leader
Carmen is a British-Lebanese playwright. Her upcoming play, Samira, will open at the National Theatre in 2026, as well as her adaptation of Babak Anvari’s film, Under the Shadow, which will premiere the Almeida Theatre in June of the same year. She is currently working on new commissions for the Almeida Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, Hampstead Theatre and Sky Productions. Previously, her play The Climbers premiered at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, in June 2022. Her play The Maladies, made with the Almeida Theatre young company, premiered at The Yard Theatre in London in 2022. In 2017 Carmen was a winner of the Channel 4 Playwrights’ Scheme, on which she was attached to the Finborough Theatre, where her play Dubailand previously premiered. Alongside writing she runs the MA Playwriting Programme at the University of Manchester.
How to get involved ⬇
Applications for 2025 are now closed. If you have submitted an application, the panel will be reviewing all applications after the deadline (22 Sep at 12 noon) and we will let you know if you have been accepted by Monday 6 October.
Supported by Didymus
