Saturday 14 November 2026
Wimbledon’s Polka Theatre has named Roberta Wilkinson the winner of the 2026 Polka Playwriting Award for her new play Doors. Chosen from more than 140 submissions, the play will be developed with Polka ahead of its world premiere in the theatre’s Adventure Theatre in autumn 2027. The script will also be published by award partner Methuen Drama. Here are five things to know about the winning play and the award behind it.
1. It’s a story about a twelve-year-old with a master plan
Doors is described as a charming and witty new play about big ideas, resilience and family connections. It follows twelve-year-old puzzle enthusiast Bella, whose family life is about to be turned upside down as her parents separate. But Bella has a master plan, which may or may not involve Rubik’s-cubing her block of flats to make sure her dad is always living next door. The play explores sibling relationships and the family that your community creates around you. It also celebrates families of all kinds, which Polka says makes it a perfect new story for young audiences.
2. Young people helped choose the winner
The winning play was picked through a detailed judging process that put young people’s voices at its heart. Twelve members of Polka’s GRADS programme read the shortlisted scripts first. Judges Matthew Xia, Nina Segal and Daniel Bailey then joined Polka’s Artistic Director and Joint CEO Helen Matravers to select Doors as the overall winner. Helen Matravers 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.” She added that she “can’t wait to work with Roberta on bringing her play to life and for Polka’s audiences to discover something brand new.”
3. It’s Roberta Wilkinson’s first solo play
Roberta Wilkinson is a Mancunian writer now based in Oxford. She co-founded Geologise Theatre, which creates theatre for young audiences, and co-wrote the musical Chrissie and the Skiddle Witch, which toured schools across England and Wales in 2025. Doors is her first solo play. She 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!” She also thanked 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.”
4. The award is the only one of its kind
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 to 13, an age group often overlooked by the wider theatre sector. Delivered in association with The Garek Trust, it gives the winning playwright a full commission, a professional staging and publication of their work. Interest is clearly growing, with submissions rising from more than 80 in its first year to more than 140 in 2026. The inaugural winner, Sarah Middleton’s Dweeb-A-Mania, premiered at Polka in autumn 2025 and won Best New Writing at the 2026 Fringe Theatre Awards.
5. The script will be published by Methuen Drama
Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing, will publish Doors in 2027 as part of its Plays for Young People series, continuing its partnership with Polka after publishing Dweeb-A-Mania. Commissioning editor Sian Carter said: “‘Doors’ is a charming and witty drama about big ideas and resilience with family and connection at its heart.” She explained that the series “features high-quality, engaging narratives for young readers, teachers and school audiences.” That means the play should reach classrooms as well as the stage. Further details of Doors, including performance dates and the creative team, will be announced in due course, so keep an eye on Polka’s website.
Find out more
Doors by Roberta Wilkinson
World premiere: autumn 2027, Adventure Theatre, Polka Theatre
Polka Theatre, 240 The Broadway, Wimbledon, London SW19 1SB
For young audiences aged 7–13
Performance dates and creative team to be announced