What Happens Next? 2025 winner announced

The winner of Tip Tray Theatre’s What Happens Next? playwriting competition has been chosen after three days of stiff competition.

Jessica Brigham’s How to Commit a Mattress Heist beat seven other shortlisted new plays to the title at the Hope Street Theatre on Saturday night.

The play was chosen by a judging panel made up of actor Joe McGann, Liverpool playwrights Ian Salmon and Karen Brown, Royal Court producer Jess Bolger and The Reviews Hub editor John McRoberts.

Twenty-minute excerpts of eight shortlisted pieces of new writing were presented in front of a live audience over two evenings, with two from each heat making it to the final where they were performed again.

The other finalists were Diva by Joanne Collins, Anita Bowman’s Rain on Svalbard and Titanic drama Unsinkable by Matthew Reynolds.

How to Commit a Mattress Heist was performed by actor Hannah Harquart and directed by Steffi Sweeney. Assistant director was Lalia Houghton - a Rare Studio intensive student on placement with Tip Tray Theatre this year.

Jessica Brigham is a Hull-based lighting designer and writer who recently co-founded a theatre company dedicated to prioritising access for both creatives and audiences.

Above: Jessica Brigham (centre) with from left Maisy Gordon and Evan Byrne of Tip Tray Theatre, actor Hannah Harquart and director Steffi Sweeney. Top: Hannah Harquart in How to Commit a Mattress Heist. Photo by Andrew AB Photography.

Her prize includes a professional contract for Tip Tray to present their play along with five days’ complementary theatre hire at Hope Street to develop and rehearse it, dramaturgy support from Papatango Theatre Company, and £1,000 of Kickstarter budget to help bring her story to life.

Previous winners include Sean McLoughlin with I am Steven Gerrard, which was staged at the Hope Street Theatre and the Royal Court Studio last year, and Elspeth Todd’s FOUR which won the 2024 contest and will be seen at Hope Street during this year.

Tip Tray Theatre executive producer Maisy Gordon says: "What Happens Next? 2025 was a real triumph. We had the opportunity to collaborate with over 50 creatives who produced absolutely stellar work.

“What Happens Next? allows us to provide emerging artists with opportunities to showcase their work in front of audiences and industry professionals and we can’t wait to see where this takes them.

“We’re really looking forward to the full production of this year’s winner, How To Commit a Mattress Heist by Jessica Brigham.”