Festival of New Writing – Elisa ("Abuela")

19:30, Thu 12th – Sat 14th March 2026 at Howard Theatre, Downing College

The annual Festival of New Writing, established in 2014 and now a central and prestigious feature of the Cambridge drama scene, returns in Lent 2026 to showcase the best of the writing talent the student body has to offer.

Students of all disciplines and from all over Cambridge submit one-act plays to be read and assessed over the Christmas holidays. A select few are chosen to be staged over the three nights of the Festival, directed and performed by students. At the end of each evening, the playwrights are invited to join a panel of top theatre practitioners to discuss their work-in-progress and take questions from the audience. Everyone plays a part!

The Festival provides students with the opportunity to engage with industry professionals, a unique learning experience, as well as bringing a wonderful theatrical spectacle to the Howard stage. DDS is proud of the fact that many FoNW alumni have gone on to forge successful careers in the Performing Arts as actors, writers and directors.