About The Prize
At a time when theatres are actively seeking work that resonates widely and revitalises attendance, the Prize supports writers who think big: plays with emotional weight, narrative drive, and the power to fill a room. The Mainstage Prize celebrates theatrical storytelling with scale — bold characters, gripping plots, and ideas that spark public conversation.
Each year, the Prize identifies a guiding theme or creative direction that reflects the stories audiences are hungry for now, signalling to the industry where the next wave of major new work may emerge. The Prize exists to celebrate high-impact, high-appeal theatre— and to launch writers whose plays can tour nationally, transfer commercially, and stand alongside the most successful works on the contemporary stage.
Prize Mission
To champion playwrights with the ambition to create high-impact theatre — work with the potential to reach large audiences, tour nationally, and thrive on major stages.
To identify the stories, themes, and ideas that audiences are hungry for, and support writers who can transform those impulses into compelling, dramatic works.
To connect emerging playwrights with major industry figures creating real pathways to production, visibility, and long-term careers.
To stimulate a renewed culture of popular theatre in the UK, celebrating plays that combine emotional power, narrative drive, and artistic excellence.
Team
Sophie Cairns
Founder
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Sophie Cairns is a producer and director dedicated to new writing with over a decade of experience across the UK, Ireland, and the USA. Through Sophie Cairns Productions, she has championed over 200 artists and commissioned 50+ original works, leading to award-nominated runs and successful Fringe tours.
Laura Turner
Literary Manager
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Laura Turner is a playwright, screenwriter, dramaturg, actor and university lecturer. An Associate Artist at Nottingham Playhouse, she has over 15 years' experience working with the BBC, BFI, Hull Truck Theatre, the Almeida, the Universities of Lincoln and York, the Undergraduate Global Awards, the Women of the Future Awards, among others.
Pippa Hill
Judge & Strategic Advisor
Chair
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Pippa Hill is a dramaturg and producer with a career in developing new plays at Hampstead Theatre, Paines Plough and most recently as Head of New Work for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She is Co-Director of Rum & Raspberry Theatre Company and Artistic Associate for Liminal Stage. Her recent dramaturgy work includes My Neighbour Totoro (Barbican 2022 and Gillian Lynne, 2025/26), Hamnet (RSC Swan, Garrick Theatre, 2023 and USA tour 2026) and Anne Boleyn the Musical (Hever Castle,2025).
Ellie Keel
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Ellie Keel is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Four (HarperCollins), an Olivier Award-nominated theatre producer, and the youngest ever winner of The Stage’s Producer of the Year Award (2024). She is the Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, the leading award for female and non-binary playwrights from the UK and Ireland. With her company EKP, Ellie has produced over twenty-five new plays to critical acclaim in London, at the Edinburgh Festivals, and on tour across the UK, at venues including the Royal Court Theatre, Barbican Centre, Southbank Centre, Chichester Festival Theatre, and Sheffield Theatres. She is the co-leader of the National Theatre’s How to be a Producer course.
The Mainstage Prize is made possible by the support of:
