Eight new writers join the Jewish Playwrights programme

Six-month initiative will encourage creative work spanning the breadth of Jewish experience, from family sagas to stories of assimilation, political upheaval and immigrant life

The Jewish Literary Foundation has announced the eight writers selected for its 2026/27 Jewish Playwrights Programme, the first cohort chosen through open applications from across the UK.

Kayla Feldman, Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller, Kali Klein-Hughes, Dylan Zwickel, Thom Munden, Alexandra Hart, Eliana Ostro and Esther Caplin will be mentored by playwright and director Julia Pascal, developing new full-length plays, with stories set across more than a century of Jewish life, from the early 1900s to the near future.

Now in its second year, the six-month initiative supports emerging and early-career playwrights through the development of a full-length play through mentoring, feedback, peer support and industry exposure.

Julia Pascal (Photo credit: Habie Schwarz)

The cohort includes an Alpine Fellowship Prize winner and writers recognised by the George Devine Award, the Women’s Prize for Playwriting and the BBC Writers Popcorn Award, with backgrounds spanning directing, dramaturgy, film, poetry, fiction and art history.

Their work has been developed with the Almeida and seen at venues including Park Theatre, Seven Dials Playhouse and the Edinburgh Fringe.

Rachel Borchard Lewis, trustee of the Shoresh Charitable Trust which sponsors the programme said:“We are delighted to see such a talented group of playwrights come through the programme’s first open call. Supporting writers at this stage of their careers is an important part of building the future of Jewish playwriting, and we look forward to following their progress.”

Claudia Rubenstein, director of the Jewish Literary Foundation, said:“What struck us most about this cohort is the sheer variety of stories they want to tell, from family histories to questions of identity, faith and belonging today. That breadth is exactly what we hoped opening applications would bring, and it’s a real sign of the strength of Jewish playwriting in Britain.”

The programme adds to the Jewish Literary Foundation’s 75-year history of nurturing authors and writers through its Jewish Book Week festival, the JLF-Genesis Emerging Writers Programme, the Freudenheim Translation Prize, the Risa Domb/Porjes Prize for Hebrew/English Translation and the Jewish Children’s Book Awards.