SE Fest is back!
SE Fest is a theatre festival based in southeast London to promote and celebrate new writing. It is hosted for the second year by two neighbouring venues, The Jack Studio in Crofton Park and The Bridge House Theatre in Penge, two award-winning theatres with a reputation for supporting and presenting new work.
SE Fest gives companies the unique opportunity to perform at both venues during the festival fortnight.
SE Fest 2025 runs from Tuesday 2nd – Saturday 13th September 2025.
What we’re looking for:
- SE Fest is passionate about plays that engage with how we live today. If you have a new script you want to perform, we’d love to hear from you!
- We’re looking for new work, so all scripts submitted by companies should not have been publicly performed more than five times prior to SE Fest 2025.
- All productions must be socially conscious and demonstrate how they provide opportunities for, or representation of, underrepresented groups including, but not limited to: Working class artists, Artists from the Global Majority, Non-binary or gender fluid artists, LGBTQ+ Artists.
- The theatres’ artistic teams will read all applications and confirm the work to be programmed in early July.
More details:
Each programmed company will be offered three consecutive performances during the festival fortnight. Your performances will take place at both theatres, with two at one venue, and one at the alternate venue.
Evening performances start at 7.30pm, with Saturday matinees at 3pm.
Performances should generally last between 60 and 90 minutes.
How to apply?
- SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED FOR SEFEST 2025. We will announce our festival line-up shortly.
What we offer companies and what we’ll need from you:
We offer companies the opportunity to be part of a vital festival of new writing, with the support of two experienced teams.
Publicity
- All productions will be listed on the theatres’ websites and the festival will print a brochure with image and copy for all productions.
- The festival will feature the productions in our venue e-shots and social media posts.
- We will contact the press with a listings line-up and invite press to review your show.
- We require an image for your production along with your publicity copy, and any further details about you to help to promote your work. If your work is programmed, we’ll send you dates for when this information must be received by.
Financial info:
- All companies programmed in SE Fest ’25 are required to pay a non-refundable £40 registration fee when accepting their slot.
- There are no further venue costs to you, with no venue rental or minimum guarantees.
- Ticket prices are £15 / £13.
- Companies receive 60% of box office after commission has been deducted by Ticket Source (7%) for online sales.
- You are responsible for any production costs for your show.
- Payment of box office splits will be made no later than 10 days after your show has ended.
Technical info:
- The Bridge House Theatre and Jack Studio Theatre are 50 seat studio spaces. For more info on each venue, please visit our websites:
https://thebridgehousetheatre.co.uk/ https://brockleyjack.co.uk/
- There will be a fixed rig in place, which is the same at both venues.
- Each company will be allotted eight hour’s get-in time (10am-6pm) before their first evening performance.
- We’ll arrange a production meeting (online or in person) before your get-in. We’re here to help!
- You will need to bring your own operator and any get-in crew for your production.
- Your get-out will take place directly after your last performance at each venue.
Further info:
- You need to have the rights to perform your script, if it is not your own work. Please note this on your application form.
- We provide box office staff for each performance and ticketing updates to you.
- Please note – we will not be able to programme all submission for the fesetival fortnight, and we regret we are unable to give feedback for all productions not selected for SE Fest 2025.
- All programmed companies are invited to a Festival Network Event, to meet other creatives taking part. We’ll have an industry speaker leading a free advice session on how to bring your work to the stage, and plenty of time to network.
- Our experienced teams are happy to feedback on programmed scripts, to help develop your ideas.
Timelines and what’s next
If you have any questions, please use the SE Fest contact form to be in touch. This is the best way to contact both venues about the festival.
Click here for the SE Fest 2025 Contact form.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Press for SE Fest 2024:
‘SE Fest is providing a vital space for powerful, fresh voices and queer joy in London’s theatre scene, and you don’t want to miss a minute of it’ A Young(ish) Persepective
‘moving and original’ London Pub Theatres on At Least I’m Not Bald
‘It is not often that the first performance of a new work is as assured as this. Davison is one to watch as performer and writer.’ British Theatre Guide on Bairns
‘Cathal really knows how to put the fun in funeral.’ British Theatre Guide on Dead Named
‘a wickedly funny piece that speaks to the heart’ A Young(ish) Perspective on Bairns
‘can be summed up in one word, phenomenal’ Everything Theatre on I, Victor
‘At Least I’m Not Bald remains understatedly touching and a pressing reminder to live to the full, because no one know what their future holds.‘ British Theatre Guide
‘At its heart this is a feminist play which poses some serious questions about the nature of heroism’ London Pub Theatres on That Witch Helen
‘Themes around power and sex, the tension between emotional need and lust and the dissonance between reality and what makes sense are all thought-provoking, with the juxtaposition of the scenes and the beat of repeated phrases forming a collage that warrants further reflection.’ British Theatre Guide on I Love Sex / You Love Sex
‘On the basis of this show, Eyres is somebody to watch in years to come, with her original take on difficult subjects with humour and versatility.’ Breaking the Fourth Wall on Dani’s Inferno
