The play will be staged at the Wimbledon based children’s theatre in the autumn of 2027.
Polka Theatre’s Artistic Director and Joint CEO Helen Matravers, Executive Director and Joint CEO Lynette Shanbury have announced that Roberta Wilkinson has been named the winner of the 2026 Polka Playwriting Award with her new play Doors.
The play was selected from more than 140 submissions and will be developed with Polka theatre ahead of its world premiere next year. Meanwhile, the script will also be published award partner Methuen Drama.
Now in its second year, the Polka Playwriting Award is the only award of its kind dedicated to championing original theatre for young audiences aged 7–13, an age group often overlooked by the wider theatre sector. Delivered in association with The Garek Trust, the award provides the winning playwright with a full commission, professional staging and publication of their work.
Doors is a play about big ideas, resilience and family connections, following twelve-year-old puzzle enthusiast Bella. Bella’s family life is about to be turned upside down as her parent’s separate, but she has a master plan, which may – or may not – involve Rubix-cubing her block of flats to ensure her Dad is always living next door. It explores sibling relationships, the family your community create around you, and celebrating familial makeups of all kinds.
Roberta Wilkinson said: “I am delighted to have won the Polka Playwriting Award. I’m so excited to develop ‘Doors’ with Polka and bring the story of twelve-year-old puzzle enthusiast Bella to life! A huge thank you to Polka, the judging panel and Polka Young GRADS for selecting my play and supporting new writing for this age group who are so often under-served by theatre.”
Helen Matravers, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Polka Theatre, said: “It’s so exciting to be working with Roberta on ‘Doors’, a play which so brilliantly marries sometimes difficult subject matter for young audiences with playful, colourful worlds. The Polka Playwriting Award is designed to find bold new stories, with the same rigour and attention to detail as any adult writing and highlights that investment in this work is so hugely important for the whole ecosystem of the theatre world to be successful. I can’t wait to work with Roberta on bringing her play to life and for Polka’s audiences to discover something brand new.”
Further details of Doors, including performance dates and the creative team, will be announced in due course.