Ambassador Cruise Line and PEEL Entertainment Group announce finalists for the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge 2025
Ambassador Cruise Line and PEEL Entertainment Group are delighted to confirm the two finalists for the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge 2025.
Following an extensive judging process, Venison by Huw Turnbull and The Splintered Globe by Bryan Moriarty have been selected to progress to the live final on Friday 5 December. The event will take place on board Ambition, at London Tilbury, where Ambassador’s second lady of the sea will be docked for one of its very special Festive Events.
The day will feature rehearsed readings of both plays performed by a professional cast under the direction of Dr Chris Ford, the internationally acclaimed theatre practitioner with decades of work as a writer, director and performer, followed by the announcement of the winner and media interviews. The schedule includes readings in the afternoon with the winner announced in the early evening.
Launched in January, the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge was created to support and celebrate new writing talent at a time when opportunities for emerging playwrights continue to diminish. The award offers a unique route for both experienced writers and first-time playwrights to have their work performed as part of Ambassador’s Theatre@Sea programme, a repertory-style initiative that has run for more than 25 years and, most recently, in partnership with Ambassador Cruise Line since the affordable cruise line’s inaugural sailing in April 2022. It remains one of the few opportunities in the UK for writers to see their work developed and staged by an established entertainment company and a cruise line.
Open to entrants aged 18 and above across the UK and ROI, the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge invited plays under one hour in duration suitable for performance on board Ambassador’s ships. The response was exceptional, with the panel inspired by the quality, ambition and theatrical imagination across more than 260 plays received.
A June shortlist reflected this breadth of talent, featuring 11 playwrights whose work was performed at regional readings on board Ambition in recent months, giving each writer the invaluable opportunity to see their work staged by Ambassador’s onboard actors.
The two plays selected for the final have each been commended for their distinctive voices and confident storytelling. On The Splintered Globe by Bryan Moriarty, respected writer, producer and Judge Dr Alison Norrington praised its “wildly original, high-concept” approach and inventive theatricality, while multi-award-winning director Dr Jessica Lazar highlighted its “life, energy and rhythm” and “emotional and thematic depth”.
Commenting on Venison by Huw Turnbull, acclaimed playwright and Judge Nathan Queeley Dennis noted its contemporary appeal, momentum and tonal balance, adding that “every age group can enjoy the story”. Dr Alison Norrington described it as a fresh, confident blend of dark comedy, farce and domestic satire with a “strong authorial voice”.
Reflecting on the competition, Bob McGowan, Chief Experience Officer at Ambassador Cruise Line and member of the Judging Panel, said: “Ambassador Cruise Line launching a new national playwrighting competition onboard a ship has been hailed as a strong innovative move for the cruise industry. We were determined to work together with our partners PEEL Entertainment to create a path for new and exciting writers to get their work seen onboard in the very successful Theatre@Sea programme that we know our guests value very highly as part of their holiday adventures.”
Susannah Daley, founder of PEEL Entertainment and Chair of Judges, added: “We had 260 entrants for our Ambassador PEEL Playwrighting Challenge, which we were over the moon with especially for a new first-year writing competition. Getting to a shortlist of 11 was tough for the readers and we were very lucky to be able to offer opportunities for the shortlisted plays to have an extract reading on board in the same theatre that the winning play will be performed in. The writers all commented on how special and useful it had been to see the actors bring their work to life in the regional readings held around UK ports on the ship. We are so excited about our two finalists, they are two exceptionally talented writers. This whole experience has delivered work beyond our expectations and no matter who wins on the day we have now established a new network of innovative writers we would be delighted to work with in the future alongside our established writing, directing and producing team.”
The winning playwright will receive a cash prize of £6,000 and a complimentary cruise for two, with their play staged as part of the Theatre@Sea programme on board Ambition in 2026. Theatre@Sea has staged a wide range of productions onboard Ambassador ships to great acclaim, with a whole host of genres ranging from thrillers and dramas to comedies and modern adaptations of classics. The onboard acting troupes are among the few existing repertory companies operating out of the UK.
The Ambassador PEEL Playwrighting Challenge is the first of its kind to take place on a cruise ship, highlighting Ambassador’s continued commitment to innovation in the arts and the role the cruise industry can play in supporting new writing.
(Ambassador Cruise Line and PEEL Entertainment Group announce finalists for the Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge 2025)
