The Write Stuff: Young writers groups

‘Safe spaces where you can try out mad stuff.’ Jack Holden's debut play Cruise might not have been written were it not for the very opportunity to try out that ‘mad stuff’ – as he calls it – at the Young Writer's Group he attended. Across the country many theatres explore new writing with their young companies where, as Holden says, ‘work is read out, critiqued and questioned by coursemates. It strengthened my instincts and toughened me up.’

Giving young writers the opportunity to develop an idea and potentially bring it to life on stage is what inspired and motivated Jack throughout the process of bringing Cruise to the West End. ‘Writing groups are the place to make mistakes, experiment, fail and learn,’ he says. ‘Theatre is a collaborative art form and I create much better work when I'm in a good collaborative company.’