We are delighted to announce that acclaimed actor and Royal Exchange Associate Artist Don Warrington will become the third Bruntwood Prize Ambassador and actor Alfred Enoch will join the 2017 judging panel.

Warrington has sidestepped from his role as a judge due to the rehearsal schedule for the forthcoming Glengarry Glen Ross at London’s Playhouse Theatre, but honours his longstanding commitment to the Prize by becoming an Ambassador where he will join Suranne Jones and Lesley Sharp in championing the importance of new writing.

Actor Alfred Enoch, known for his role as Dean Thomas in Harry Potter, and more recently as Wes Gibbins in ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder, will join the 2017 judging panel in Warrington’s place. Enoch will make up the eighth member of the distinguished panel, sitting alongside; British broadcaster and journalist Kirsty Lang, the award-winning screenwriter Russell T. Davies, previous Bruntwood Prize winner Phil Porter, stage and screen writer Lucy Prebble, Director Lyndsey Turner, Royal Exchange Theatre Associate Artistic Director, Matthew Xia, and Chairman of Bruntwood, Michael Oglesby CBE.

On becoming a Bruntwood Prize ambassador, Don Warrington said: ‘The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is a fantastic competition and to have been a judge would have been very exciting. It’s terrific that my King Lear co-star Alfred Enoch will be joining the judging panel and that the Bruntwood team have invited me to become an Ambassador. The Prize is an amazing opportunity for writers of any skill level and from any background, it attracts thousands of entries and has discovered some truly astounding writers. I’m thrilled to continue to champion this brilliant and unique competition.’

The judging panel is now reading the ten shortlisted scripts, and will decide on this years winner and judges awards on October 23rd. Their decision will be top secret until the November 13th Awards Ceremony, allowing for the shortlisted plays and playwrights to be announced on October 24th.