Buxton Opera House’s 2025 local scriptwriting competition was won by Susie Bennett. Her play The Buxton Faun was staged at the Pavilion Arts Centre on 31 January and 1 February 2026. Read the Opera House’s interview with Bennett.
The competition closed on 31 July 2025. It invited original, unpublished and unperformed plays connected to Buxton and the environment. The winner worked with playwright Charles Way to develop the script; the Buxton Advertiser reviewed the production after the performances.
The original 2025 announcement
Buxton Opera House and Pavilion Arts Centre launched the competition for local writers. They planned to shortlist three writers for a development workshop, with one script selected for mentoring and a full production. The announcement said there was no cash prize.
Paul Kerryson, then Buxton Opera House CEO, said: “Following the recent successful premiere productions of The Keeper of the Books in 2024 and One Night in Buxton in February this year, Buxton Opera House is thrilled to be offering this brilliant opportunity for local emerging writers. As ever, we are grateful to Arts Council England for supporting Buxton Opera House in providing artistic platforms for local creativity”.
The published 2025 criteria included a connection to Buxton and the environment, content suitable for all ages, two acts of approximately 45 minutes each, no more than 10 principal characters, and writers aged 18 or over. Applicants needed to be available for a workshop on 13 September 2025 and the planned production period from 28 January to 1 February 2026. Submissions were to be judged anonymously.
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