Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival

After its successful debut last year, Fresh Ink returns to Hull’s Fruit Market, with exciting events taking place across two days in July. Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival is an annual theatre festival designed to support writers with a connection to Hull to create and develop new plays in the city. Audiences can enjoy a wide range of events including script-in-hand performances of early versions of new plays, writer workshops, industry talks and two keynote speeches.

The festival takes place across two venues in Hull’s Fruit Market quarter, Stage@TheDock and the pop-up space on Pier Street, on the weekend of 19-20 July 2025.

All performances and talks at Stage@TheDock will be hosted inside a weatherproof marquee and workshops and talks will take place inside the venue 1-2 Pier Street. Audiences are encouraged to make use of the fantastic range of independent cafes, restaurants and bars on Humber Street and the Fruit Market area.

Fresh Ink is produced by co-founders Middle Child and sponsored by co-founders Wykeland, with support from J F Brignall Charitable Trust, Hull City Council, the University of Hull, Hull Truck Theatre and Garrick Charitable Trust.

Festival-goers will see new plays commissioned especially for the festival, from writers with a connection to the city, and workshops and talks from some of the most exciting names in the industry.

Workshops with Javaad Alipoor, Holly Beasley-Garrigan, Lydia Marchant, Nathan Queeley Dennis and Tom Wells. Talks by Tabby Lamb, Cheryl Martin (Red Ladder), Holly Williams (Exeunt Magazine) and Matt Woodhead (Lung Theatre). Keynote speeches from Ola Animashawun and Maureen Lennon. New plays by Ellen Brammar, Jim Norris, Noor Sobka, Jay Grainger and Samuel Sims, Michelle Kelly, Laura Wilson and Sean Climmie.

Other events include readings from Middle Child’s writers’ group, relaxed networking sessions and a sharing of an extract from Middle Child’s flagship show for 2026, by Marc Graham.

To keep the festival affordable for audience members and participants, most of the events are priced on a Pay What You Decide scheme, where you can choose to pay anything between £3-10. Other events are free, but booking is still required.

Age recommendation for events across the festival is 14+, with parental discretion.