Student Applications

Applications to stage a show in Michaelmas 2025 are now open!

Applications to stage a show in Michaelmas 2025 (and Lent 2026 Week 1) are now open!

Key Dates:

Sunday 27 April 2025: Applications open.
Wednesday 14 May 2025: Applications close. You will not be able to make an application if you have not submitted it before midday on this day;
Saturday 17 - Sunday 18 May 2025: Most applicants will be invited to deliver a 5-minute pitch to discuss their application in more detail;
w/b Monday 19 May 2025: One of the panellists will read the script (where applicable), and questions based on the script, written application and pitch might be sent over to the applicant to respond via email towards the end of the week;
Saturday 24 - Sunday 25 May 2025: Most applicants for the ADC Mainshow slot are invited to a further, 20-minute interview. If you have applied for a different slot, you probably won't be invited to an interview, though please don't worry: we should have all the information we need to make a decision;
w/b Monday 26 May 2025: You will find out via email whether your application has been successful.

More information about the application process can be viewed below:

Applications Guide

For non-student booking enquiries, please click here.

When applying, the application form will ask you for the following:

Your name, phone number and email address;
The name and author (if applicable) of the show;
A synopsis of the show, genre, age suitability (see more information below), and any content notes you want the panel to be aware of;
The expected cast size for the show;
The expected run time for the show (please bear in mind the durations of each of the slots you can apply for);
Whether your show has any intimacy content;
Your answers to the following questions:
- Why are you passionate about your show?
- What ideas do you have about the process of bringing your show to the stage?
- How do you want the audience to react to the show?
- What ideas do you currently have about ways to allow for diversity and inclusion in your production?
- What are your ideas for marketing this production?
Any supplementary material, if necessary;
The slot and venue you would like to apply for (see the applications guide for more details);
Whether you would like your show to be considered for one of the suggested categories (see further down this page for more information);
Whether you would like your show to be considered for funding by one of our resident companies (see applications guide for more details). Please note that you do not need to worry about funding at the point that you apply for a show;
Your availability to give a five-minute pitch;
Your availability to conduct a twenty-minute interview to discuss your application further;
A 100-word "long" marketing blurb, a 20-word "short" marketing blurb, and a publicity image;
Details about how the panel can access the script (whether you decide to email it, provide a link to download, or deliver to the Administration Office prior to the application deadline. Please note that if applicable to your application, a script must be provided for your application to be considered);
Any adjustments that you require to the applications process;
Details about the applicant so that the ADC can publish anonymised data on the ethnicity, sexuality and disability of successful applicants (this part is entirely optional and any specific data provided will be kept confidential by the Theatre Manager).

What to consider before making an application

Rights

The rights-holders of most plays and musicals require you to purchase performing rights before a production can be staged.

Most rights for shows are held by the following three companies:

If you are looking at a show that is not held by one of these rightsholders, then you must check elsewhere whether amateur performance rights are available. If you are unsure whether the rights to your show are available, or if you have any questions, please get in touch here. If you are applying for any of the shows from the shortlists below you do not need to check rights as the Theatre Manager has already checked and secured them.

Please note that many rights agreements do not permit changes to be made to the show's script, period, setting, or characters (including their gender). If you wish to change these aspects within your production you will need to get in touch with the rightsholders in advance to see if this is possible. If you have any questions about this, please contact the Theatre Manager here.

Has the show been staged previously?

We are very unlikely to programme a show which has been on at the ADC Theatre or Corpus Playroom already in the last 5 years. Please check camdram.net for information on when shows have last been put on.

The ADC has an active programme outside of term time and a minority of these shows aren't listed on Camdram. If you are concerned about whether a show has been recently performed, please email us.

Available Slots

These are the slots we will be accepting applications for. More information about these slots can be found in the applications guide.

ADC Mainshows (Tuesday to Saturday at 7.45pm): Weeks 1-5 (& Lent Week 1)

ADC Lateshows (Wednesday to Saturday at 11pm): Weeks 1-8

ADC One-Night Stands (Generally a Tuesday one-off show at 11pm): Weeks 1-8

Corpus Playroom Mainshows (Tuesday to Saturday at 7pm): Weeks 1-5, 7-8 (& Lent Week 1)

Corpus Playroom Lateshows (Wednesday to Saturday at 9.30pm): Weeks 1-5, 7-8 (& Lent Week 1)

Corpus Playroom One-Night Stands (Tuesday one-off show at 9.30pm): Weeks 1-8

ADC Bar Show (Sunday or Monday at 8pm): Weeks 1-8

ADC Larkum Studio Show (Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm): Weeks 1-8

Suggested Categories

Each term, the ADC show selection panel provides suggested categories that we would be keen to see applications for, in order to broader our season. For each of the categories below, a shortlist of shows has been selected which we encourage applications for. Rights for these shows have been checked already and they have been selected because we believe they are good examples of what we are looking for from shows in these categories, and that they would be fruitful and worthwhile projects to undertake. Links to read the scripts for these plays are included below if they are available to read online for free (the University of Cambridge allows students access to Drama Online for free). We will also try to make a copy of each script available in the CUADC Library in the Production Office. Nevertheless, the shortlists are NOT exhaustive and we invite applications for other shows, pre-existing or new writing, that fit these category headings.

We emphasise that you can apply with any show and that the below category headings only serve to act as a guide. If we do not receive any applications for a category, or if all applications in a category are not of sufficient quality the panel will revert to selecting from the open applications field to fill the slots. In all cases the quality of submissions will continue to be the guiding principle in show selection.

Earlier this month was the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This centenary has inspired our ‘twenties’ category: shows about the Roaring ‘20s, The Great Depression, the 2020s, or being in your 20s! Original writing strongly encouraged.

The following list are suggested pre-existing works, but other existing shows can be applied for if the rights are available, or original writing if the rights for the source material are available or out of copyright.

The Great Gatsby and other works by/ inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- NB The original book 'The Great Gatsby' is out of copyright, but in-copyright stage adaptations are available.

The Wild Party Music and Lyrics by Michael John LaChiusa, Book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C Wolfe, Based on the poem by Joseph Moncure March
- Manhattan decadence in the 1920's provides the backdrop for this tough musical fable. Queenie, a vaudeville chorine, hosts the blow-out of the title. The guests are a vivid collection of the unruly and the undone: Queenie's conniving rival; a cocaine-sniffing bisexual playboy; a washed-up boxer; a Black brother act; a diva of indeterminate age and infinite life experience; the fresh-off-the-farm ingénue whose naïveté quickly evaporates; a lesbian actress and her comatose girlfriend; and the bargain basement Valentino who catches Queenie's roving eye. The jazz- and gin-soaked party rages to a mounting sense of threat as artifice and illusion are stripped away. When midnight debauchery leads to tragedy at dawn, the high-flying characters land with a sobering thud, reminding us that no party lasts forever.
- Rights available from Concord Theatricals

Josephine and I by Cush Jumbo
- Josephine Baker: captivating performer, political activist and international icon, who lived from 1906 to 1975. From the ragtime rhythms of St Louis and the intoxicating sounds of 1920s Paris, to present-day London, Josephine and I intertwines the story of a modern-day girl with that of one of the greatest, yet largely forgotten, stars of the twentieth century.
- Rights available directly from agent - NOT YET CONFIRMED
- Script available on Drama Online

Touchstone Tales by Sudha Bhuchar
- How important is touch to you?
  Is there enough touch in the world or are we experiencing collective 'touch hunger' in these troubling times?
  
  Touchstone Tales is a unique collection of revealing and illuminating stories of Lutonians, seen through the prism of touch. Originally a Revoluton Arts/Wellcome collection co-commission, it is part of Wellcome's national arts partnership programme and is an artist response to 'The Touch Test', Wellcome's study on the role that touch plays in the lives and well-being of people
- Rights available directly from agent - RIGHTS SECURED FROM THE PLAYWRIGHT FOR THE STAGE PREMIERE OF THIS WORK
- Script available on Drama Online

Age is a Feeling by Haley McGee
- Your life from the day you turn twenty-five through to your death. All the chances you get to change course and all the things you leave unsaid. Inspired by interviews with hospice workers, conversations with mystics and trips to the cemetery, Age is a Feeling is a gripping story that wrestles with the glorious and melancholy uncertainties of human life. A covert rallying cry against cynicism and regret, it's an uplifting exploration of chance, morality and living with verve.
- Rights available from Nick Hern Books
- Script coming soon to CUADC Library
Other suggested authors:
- Charlie Josephine (One of Them Ones - available in CUADC Library / Birds and Bees)
- Jack Thorne

[CW for below play: references to r*pe and/or sexual assault]

How to Defend Yourself by Liliana Padilla
- Seven university students gather for a DIY self-defence workshop after a sorority sister is sexually assaulted. They learn how to “not be a victim,” how to use their bodies as weapons, how to fend off attackers. The form of self-defence becomes a channel for their rage, trauma, confusion, anxiety and desire – lots of desire. Challenged to determine what they want and how to ask for it, the students must ultimately face the insidious ways r*pe culture steals one's body and sense of belonging.
- Rights available from Concord Theatricals
- Script coming soon to CUADC Library

The following list are suggested pre-existing works, but other existing shows can be applied for if the rights are available, or original writing if the rights for the source material are available or out of copyright.

White Rabbit, Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour
- With no rehearsal, no director, a different actor each night, and a script waiting in a sealed envelope on stage, internationally acclaimed White Rabbit, Red Rabbit by Iranian writer Nassim Soleimanpour, is an audacious theatrical experiment and a potent reminder of the transgressive and transformative power of theatre.
- Rights available from Aurora Nova - PLEASE LET THE THEATRE MANAGER KNOW IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS TITLE

The League of Youth by Henrik Ibsen, adapted by Andy Barrett (other translations/adaptations may be available)
- Bratsberg is a man of tradition. He thinks manners, knowledge and education are the foundations of a good society, but are his values dated? Monsen is an entrepreneur who believes success comes from hard work, but can he be trusted? Stensgard is a radical. He can see that change is beckoning and that he should be the man to drive progress forward. But when real power becomes a possibility how will he respond?
- Rights available from Nick Hern Books

R. U. R by Karel Čapek
- Rossum's Universal Robots turns out millions of manufactured workmen with no souls, desires or feelings. Helena Glory, president of the Humanitarian League, comes to ascertain what can be done to improve their condition. Ten years later, due to Helena's desire to have the Robots more like human beings, the head of the experimental department has secretly changed the formula, and there are enough to make ringleaders and a world revolt of Robots is under way. The rest of the play is magnificent melodrama, with the handful of human beings at bay while their own robots close in on them. In the epilogue, Alquist, the company's builder, is the only human being left on earth. The robots know their bodies will wear out and there will be no new robots to replace them. But Alquist discovers two humanized robots, a young man and young woman, who have a bit of Adam and Even in them, and mankind is about to start afresh.
- Out of copyright
- Script available here

Fires in the Mirror by Anna Deavere Smith
- Revolving around the riots that occurred after two killings, this play takes a searing look at the misunderstandings of, and sympathies between, two cultures living in the community of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York.
- Rights available from DPS - please ask the Theatre Manager about this title

Fabulation, or the re-education of Undine by Lynn Nottage

Suggested volumes of plays:
- Latin American Plays

Unavailable Shows

The following shows are already programmed but not yet on sale and so would not be able to be pitched for:

Gypsy: A Musical Fable by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents
Constellations by Nick Payne
Beginning by David Eldridge
Next to Normal by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt
Some Mothers Do 'Ave Em by Guy Unsworth, Raymond Allen
Come From Away by Irene Sankoff and David Hein

Pitching your show

Once you apply with your show, you will be invited to deliver a five-minute pitch.

You can discuss whatever you'd like in your pitch, but if you're not sure what to talk about, we recommend that you provide answers to these questions:

Why are you passionate about this show?
What ideas do you have about the process of bringing your show to the stage, including any initial ideas for design/direction.
How do you want the audience to react to the show?

You may be asked to attend a further interview the following weekend, especially if you have applied for an ADC Mainshow, to talk about your application in more detail. We will give you a small number of questions to prepare in advance.

We usually only invite the applicants for further interview when they apply for the ADC Mainshow slot, so do not worry if you are not invited to a longer interview. Please note that not all ADC Mainshow applications will be asked to attend a further interview. It may be that we are still considering your show for an alternative slot and/or venue.

Marketing

During the application process you will be asked to answer a number of questions pertaining to the marketing and web listing of your show were it to be programmed, including a marketing blurb, image, content notices and age suitability. This is because due to the tight turn around for season programming, at the point the season has been confirmed, all of the season marketing materials (including the brochure) are compiled and we start to upload key information to our website.

If your show is programmed, you will have a short window to suggest changes to any of these prior to publication by the Theatre.

When determining an age recommendation for your show, you should consider the following matrix:

Does your show contain?

All Ages	Infrequent mild, bad language; Mild sexual behaviour (e.g. kissing); Brief unsettling sequences; Mild violence (depending on context).
8+	Potentially dangerous behaviour; Mild discriminatory language or behaviour (provided such language or behaviour is disapproved of); Mild references to drug use/misuse; Mild, bad language; Non-sexual, partial nudity; Mild sexual references or innuendo; Infrequent and discreet implications of sexual activity; Brief moments of threat or horror; Non-detailed moderate violence justified by historical/comedic context.
12+	Infrequent drug misuse; Moderate bad language; Brief nudity; Moderate sexual references; Moderate threat and/or horror; Moderate violence.
16+	Depiction of dangerous behaviour; Discriminatory language or behaviour; Drug or dangerous substance misuse; Very strong language; Non-sexual nudity; References to sexual activity; Masked depictions of moderate sexual activity; Non-graphic or veiled depiction of sexual violence or threat; Threat and/or horror; Strong violence.
18+	Frequent/extensive very strong language; Detailed portrayal of violence, dangerous behaviour or illegal/immoral activity, especially when such behaviour is portrayed as pleasurable/sadistic; Endorsement of discrimination; Graphic depicted sexual activity or sexual nudity; Graphic depiction of sexual violence or threat; A performance which may encourage or motivate the consumption of alcohol by audience members (e.g. late-night comedy).

For clarification on any of the above, please speak to the Production Manager.

Other Information

You can apply with more than one production, or for more than one venue or slot. You should be aware, however, that spreading yourself too thinly can weaken all your applications: we are interested in a passion for a specific production rather than a general desire to stage something.

We are committed to open auditions and applications for cast and crew positions. If you are applying with a show that has been pre-cast, or has filled all of its major crew positions, please consider that this could be detrimental to your application.

We are only accepting electronic applications via the Google Form found above. Please get in touch here if you experience any technical issues.

There is a space on the application form to mention any adjustments that you require for the pitching process. Please note down if you would prefer to have more time in an interview, or any other adjustments.

Access information for our venues can be found here. Of note is the fact that the ADC Theatre is a fully accessible space, and that the Corpus Playroom is regrettably not wheelchair accessible.

We are only able to programme student productions during University term time. If you would like to enquire about other hire opportunities, please visit our website here.

Protected Characteristics

The ADC Management team publishes anonymised data on how many show applicants fall under certain protected characteristics including ethnicity, sexuality and disability, and how many of these applicants successfully had a show programmed. This data is collected as part of the show application process and is entirely optional for candidates to complete.

For the Michaelmas 2024, Easter 2024 and Lent 2024 application rounds, we received a total of 195 applications, with an average acceptance rate of 56%. This varies depending on the season, venue and type of show applied for (e.g. ADC Mainshows and Musicals tend to be our most competitive slots). The below does not include applications for the CUADC/Footlights Pantomime 2024, for which demographic data was not collected.

The University of Cambridge publishes anonymised equality and diversity data every year, with the latest report being published for the 2022-23 cohort. Students with a disclosed disability comprised 17.8% of all undergraduates. Students from a BAME background who disclosed their ethnicity made up 37.3% of all undergraduates. In 2022-23 report, published in March 2024, the University of Cambridge did not report on student numbers by sexual orientation.