- Robert Akodoto’s THE LAST OF THE WATERMELON KID to receive Character 7 Commission
- Elham Ehsas came Highly Commended for his play THE FAITHFULS
- Judging panel: Beth Steel, Bryony Kimmings, Monica Ali, Roy Williams, and Rufus Norris, chaired by Character 7’s Stephen Garrett
- The Verity Bargate Award is sponsored by Character 7
During a ceremony at Soho Theatre this morning, Philippa Lawford’s THE WILDERNESS was announced as the winner for this year’s Verity Bargate Award, Soho Theatre’s biennial new playwriting prize. Her play follows a young English teenager as she experiences a spiritual awakening on a Texan farm during a hot summer. Philippa will receive £12,000 for an exclusive option for Soho Theatre to produce the prize-winning play, and a full London run of the play staged at Soho Theatre, to be announced later.
Writer Monica Ali, from the judging panel, said: ‘The Wilderness is a beautiful, intelligent and deeply affecting play. What is so striking is the way its largest ideas arise so naturally from character. Through Meg, Rhoda and John, three profoundly different responses to faith become an unexpectedly resonant portrait of contemporary life: Meg’s fierce longing to be chosen speaks to loneliness and atomisation; Rhoda’s generous, communitarian faith to our need to give, receive and belong; while John’s secular rationalism asks what is left when meaning and responsibility rest with us alone. It is a remarkably subtle play about faith, but also about the much larger human hunger for connection, purpose and somewhere to belong.’
The Character 7 Commission was awarded to THE LAST OF THE WATERMELON KID by Robert Akodoto, a coming-of-age story following the tumultuous life of a young boy in foster care. The Character 7 Commission is selected by Verity Bargate Award sponsor Character 7 in consultation with Soho Theatre. Robert will join the 2027 cohort of writers on Soho ReDraft, a writing programme aimed at supporting playwrights in developing existing first drafts of their plays into production-ready scripts.
Stephen Garrett, Character 7 Founder and Executive Producer and Verity Bargate Award judging panel Chair, said: ‘Robert’s THE LAST OF THE WATERMELON KID is not just one of the most kinetic and cinematic pieces of theatre I’ve ever read, it feels magically plucked from the headlines. It’s as funny as it is dark, as moving as it is necessary. We’re excited to start with him to bring what promises to be an electrifying, wild and hugely entertaining story to the screen.’
Finally, Elham Ehsas’s play THE FAITHFULS, following two Taliban fighters atop an ancient Budha statue engaging in banter, prayer and debate, came highly commended from the jury.
Soho Theatre’s Rose Abderabbani (Head of Theatre Programme), Max Elton (Associate Director: Literary) and Pooja Sivaraman (Creative Associate) said: ‘The Verity Bargate Award is the longest-established new writing award in the UK, with the winning play receiving a full production at Soho Theatre. It sits at the heart of our work with writers, allowing us to discover distinctive new voices, develop meaningful relationships and take creative risks; the Award gives us an invaluable opportunity to hear what writers want to say now and to support ambitious new work from page to stage.’
The full Verity Bargate Award 2026 shortlist:
- The Faithfuls by Elham Ehsas – HIGHLY COMMENDED
- The History by Tife Kusoro
- The Last of the Watermelon Kid by Robert Akodoto – CHARACTER 7 COMMISSION
- Voyagers by Ava Wong Davies
- Water After Ajax by Billie Collins
- The Wilderness by Philippa Lawford – VERITY BARGATE AWARD WINNER
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the Verity Bargate Award
Launched in 1981, the Verity Bargate Award is Soho Theatre’s flagship playwrighting competition, sponsored by Character 7 in a long-term partnership now spanning five editions. It is one of the longest-established playwrighting awards in the UK and the only award to guarantee the winning play a fully staged production in one of Soho Theatre’s stages in their central London venue. The award honours Verity Bargate, Soho’s co-founder who passionately championed new writing during her time at the small but hugely influential fringe theatre company, Soho Poly.
For 50 years Soho Theatre has championed new writing, from lunch time plays in the 1970s to today’s commissions, attachments, Writers’ Labs and awards. Open to new and emerging UK and Irish writers, the Verity Bargate Award uncovers the best new plays and launches the careers of some of Britain’s most established playwrights and screenwriters. Previous winners and nominees include Eoin McAndrew (Little Brother at Soho Theatre, 2025), Sam Grabiner (Boys on the Verge of Tears at Soho Theatre, 2024), Nathan Ellis (Super High Resolution at Soho Theatre, 2022), Amanda Wilkin (Shedding a Skin at Soho Theatre, 2021 & 2022), Matt Charman (A Night at the Dogs, 2004), Vicky Jones (The One at Soho Theatre, 2014), Toby Whithouse (Jump Mr Malinoff Jump, 1998) and many, many more.
About Soho Theatre
SOHO THEATRE is London’s most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. Our central London venue in Soho recently celebrated 25 years as one of the UK’s busiest with a buzzing bar, lively audiences and an entertaining year-round festival programme with a queer, punk, counter-culture flavour. Our second London venue SOHO THEATRE WALTHAMSTOW opened in May 2025, bringing our vibrant programme to its biggest stage yet. Work extends beyond our venues with a full touring programme and connections with New York, Melbourne and Mumbai. Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a huge part of our year, we present many shows and scout hundreds more and we are the UK’s leading presenter of comedians from India. Our filmed comedy specials can be seen on international airlines and online. And our artist development and participation programmes are as important as the work on our stages. Soho Theatre is a charity and social enterprise. Soho Theatre Walthamstow is a community interest company. sohotheatre.com / @sohotheatre.
About Character 7
Character 7 is an award-winning independent production company based in London.
Founded by Stephen Garrett, whose credits as Executive Producer include The Night Manager, Spooks, Eastern Promises and Culprits, the company is driven by a deep belief in the power of great writing and the importance of nurturing talent. Character 7 champions both established and emerging voices; collaborating with leading screenwriters, directors, and the next generation of storytellers shaping the future of screen drama.
Reflecting its long-term commitment to discovering and supporting new writers, Character 7 is the headline sponsor of Soho Theatre’s Verity Bargate Award and the Royal Court’s Open Submission Festival.
Renowned for producing intelligent, stylish, and emotionally charged drama, Character 7 has worked with the BBC, AMC, HBO, Lionsgate, Starz, Amazon Prime, and Disney+ to deliver globally acclaimed series including The Night Manager, Culprits, The Undoing, and The Rook.
Season 1 of The Night Manager was nominated for twelve Emmys and won three Golden Globes. Season 2 – once again led by Garrett as Executive Producer – arrived on screens around the world in January 2026.
BIOGRAPHIES
Elham Ehsas – The Faithfuls – HIGHLY COMMENDED
‘ They all thought they were right. Every single one of them. They were so sure.
– Like us.
– Except we’re right.’
Elham Ehsas is a BAFTA-nominated, Oscar-shortlisted writer and director drawn to the quiet moments that split a life in two. His short film Yellow was BAFTA-nominated and Oscar-shortlisted in 2024. There Will Come Soft Rains followed, winning Best Film at both Raindance and Encounters Film Festival. His documentary Forgotten Spaceman, produced with Ken Loach’s Sixteen Films, premiered at Locarno this year followed by Toronto Film Festival, and his debut feature Our Kind of Love is in development with the BFI.
Alongside directing, he has worked as Second Unit Director on The Crown, and as an actor in The Agency, Shantaram, Homeland, Unforgotten, and the West End and New York productions of The Jungle.
Philippa Lawford – The Wilderness – VERITY BARGATE AWARD 2026 WINNER
‘We’re going crazy. We can’t stop ourselves. We’re in heat.’
Philippa is a British-Texan writer and director. Her debut play, Ikaria, toured the UK in 2023 and was published by Methuen Drama, winning an OFFIE Short Run Commendation and a runner-up prize from the ATG Playwrights’ Prize. Her second play, Cold Water, was also published by Methuen and had an OFFIE-nominated run at the Park Theatre in 2024. In 2025, Cold Water was staged in downtown NYC by Little Engine Theater, directed by Michael Herwitz. Philippa has taken part in the Soho Theatre Studio Writers’ Group and the Royal Court Theatre Writers’ Group. She is represented by Julia Tyrrell Management (UK) and CAA (US).
Robert Akodoto – The Last of the Watermelon Kid – CHARACTER 7 COMMISSION
‘The one phrase which guaranteed you a one-way ticket out of any sh*tty foster house…
When I turn eighteen. I am going to kill myself.
Ooh, do you feel that energy leave the room?’
Robert Akodoto is a British-Nigerian writer and actor from Nottingham who trained at The Television Workshop and The Oxford School of Drama. On screen, he has appeared in shows such as Netflix’s Everything Now. As a writer, he draws on lived experience to explore identity and belonging through comedy — pushing humour as far as it will go before letting it tip into drama. His work includes GenerationSnowflake, a TV comedy about a young man who runs away to the sex-filled wilderness of gap-yearing Thailand in search of his ethnic roots, and The Last of the Watermelon Kid — adapted for both TV and theatre — a comedy about a 17-year-old foster child determined to end his life on his eighteenth birthday.