Call for Expression of Interest for A Season of Bangla Drama 2026

A Season of Bangla Drama 2026 - Expressions of interest form, guidelines and criteria

Join us for A Season of Bangla Drama 2026 and be curious about curiosity!

The theme for 2026 is CURIOSITY. This can be a strong desire to know, a pursuit of or to learn something. Being curious can mean asking open-ended questions, embracing a beginner’s mind, making time for exploration, reflecting on interests, and creating safe spaces for inquiry. We seek plays that explore and celebrate the curious mind: why, what if, and how we embrace the unknown with openness and wonder.

We welcome Expressions of Interest from individuals as well as organisations. Those from the wider community (not exclusively Bengali) can also apply. Playwrights and organisations can be local or national. Content should be relevant to an East London audience. It must be new writing, with debut performance at the 2026 festival.

We are looking for bold new voices. We are looking for stories that resonate with contemporary culture and society. We want to hear from first time writers, as well as established playwrights with new material. We want UK based Bengali stories.

Criteria for selection

Originality and innovation in the themes which should engage audiences in an imaginative and bold way.
Contemporary and relevant - sharing British/Asian experiences in the here and now in the UK.
Asking searching and topical questions - from varying viewpoints or perspectives.
Exploring the theme of curiosity/curious.
Only new writing will be considered. Plays must debut their performance at this year’s festival.
All plays should have 50 per cent Bangla language/or other languages and 50 per cent English.
Priority will be given to productions involving children and young people.
Priority will be given to Tower Hamlets based organisations and individuals.
A 3-minute video segment of your play is required (YouTube/Vimeo link).
Plays must not exceed 60 minutes in length.

Expression of interest form

Expression of interest form for Festival Fringe events

We are not accepting expressions of interest from overseas companies.

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 24 February 2026 by 10am

Shortlisted companies/artists will be notified by mid-March 2026. Final selection will be in July 2026 on receipt of full script at Writers CPD session.

Scheduling will decided at a later stage by the festival producer.