Dreaming of Becoming a Playwright After 50? Here’s How to Start Writing for Theatre

When I look back on my journey to becoming a playwright, I’m reminded of a simple truth: if writing is in you, it will find a way out, no matter the obstacles in your path.

I’ve always written. I loved English at school and was inspired by one of my secondary school teachers, who often asked me to read my homework aloud in class. While my classmates rolled their eyes, “It’s Liz again!”, those early moments planted the seed of confidence that writing mattered.

Like many aspiring writers, I was an avid reader throughout childhood and my teenage years. At one stage, I vividly remember trying to write like Enid Blyton. I experimented with fiction and poetry, but playwriting became my true passion after I gave up acting in my thirties.

Today, writing for theatre in later life feels more meaningful than ever.

The Biggest Obstacle to Writing Later in Life: Believe In Yourself

Belief is often the first and most important step in any creative journey. I think perhaps the biggest challenge when starting to write, at any age, but especially in midlife, is believing in yourself.

You have to believe that you can do it, that you have the skills, the stories and the discipline to dedicate time to writing. Crucially, you also need an idea that truly matters to you, the story that lives inside you and refuses to go away.

For many aspiring writers, especially those exploring writing in midlife, it can be the difference between an idea that stays hidden and one that finally takes shape on the page. Before technique, time or opportunity, there has to be a quiet but steady conviction that your voice matters and that your story is worth telling.

That passion is what carries you through the difficult moments.

How to Start Writing Plays After 50

Starting to write plays after 50 is mostly about trusting the voice you already have. At this stage of life, you are likely carrying a richer sense of perspective, experience and emotional understanding, all of which can deeply inform your writing.

The key is not to overthink where you “should” be creatively, but to begin from where you are, with honesty and curiosity, and allow your own truth to guide the work.

• Write From a Place of Truth

One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is this: don’t chase trends or try to write what you think audiences want to see.  Authenticity matters in theatre: your story must feel emotionally true to you. When a script comes from a genuine place, it resonates far more deeply with audiences and actors alike. Your unique life experience is not a disadvantage, it is your greatest creative asset.

• Build a Daily Writing Habit

Developing a consistent writing routine is essential for anyone interested in writing. That doesn’t necessarily mean producing pages of dialogue every day. Sometimes it’s simply journaling, making observations or writing snippets of conversation you overhear in cafés.

The important thing is building the habit of paying attention to the world around you.

Why Deadlines Help Aspiring Playwrights

Deadlines can feel intimidating at first, but for many writers they become a powerful creative tool rather than a constraint.

I personally love a deadline: it sharpens my focus and helps crystallise the essence of a story. Without structure, many scripts remain unfinished ideas sitting in notebooks or folders on laptops. Setting yourself a goal — whether that’s a local theatre submission window, a competition, or even a reading with friends — creates momentum.

For many women over 50, this stage of life can finally offer the time and emotional clarity needed to commit to a creative project properly.

The Importance of Hearing Your Play Out Loud

One of the best ways to improve a script is hearing it spoken aloud. Hearing your work spoken aloud is one of the most powerful tools in playwriting: it moves the script off the page and into real life, revealing how dialogue truly lands with an audience. This step is where a script begins to feel like theatre rather than text, so don’t skip it!

• Organise Read-Throughs With Trusted People

Gather trusted friends, ideally actors if possible, and organise a simple read-through. Listening to other people interpret your characters can reveal weaknesses, strengths and emotional nuances you may never have noticed while writing alone.

It can also answer important questions about character motivation, pacing and dialogue.

• Learn to Accept Feedback — Without Losing Your Voice

Feedback is invaluable, but it’s important not to become overwhelmed by too many opinions.

At the end of the day, your play is your voice, your perspective and your story. Listen carefully to constructive criticism, but don’t drift too far away from your original vision simply to please others.

Join a Writing Group and Attend Scratch Nights

Joining a local writing group can be incredibly helpful when starting out in playwriting. It can make a huge difference when developing your work: it provides encouragement, honest feedback and the opportunity to test ideas in a supportive environment before taking them further.

I’ve been part of one for many years, and alongside countless cups of tea and slices of cake, my fellow writers have played an enormous role in helping me develop scripts over time.

Equally valuable are local “scratch nights”, informal theatre events where writers can showcase short or unfinished pieces in front of a live audience. These events are brilliant opportunities to test ideas and observe genuine audience reactions to your work.

The Difficult but Necessary Second Draft

Once you’ve completed your first draft and gathered feedback, the real work begins.

The second draft can be challenging because it forces you to confront structural problems, weak scenes or unclear character arcs. Personally, I’ve found script analysis services extremely useful at this stage. While any feedback remains subjective, experienced script readers can provide invaluable guidance on structure, pacing and character development.

How to Get Your Play Produced

Getting your work from page to stage is one of the most exciting, and sometimes daunting, parts of writing for theatre. At this stage, the focus shifts from development to opportunity, as you begin exploring how your script can reach audiences beyond your own creative space. For many playwrights, this is where the journey truly begins to take shape in the professional world of theatre.

• Submit to Regional Theatres and Competitions

Once you’re happy with your script, you have to let it sail out into the world.

Research regional theatres that specialise in new writing and keep an eye out for script submission windows. Playwriting competitions are another excellent route, although patience is required, results can take months.

• Producing Your Own Play Can Be Empowering

The other option is to take matters into your own hands and produce the play yourself.

I chose my hometown’s annual arts festival in Worthing, West Sussex, to stage one of my latest plays in 2024. I found a venue willing to provide their basement room in exchange for bar sales and selected a three-person cast to keep costs manageable.

It was a steep learning curve and certainly resulted in some sleepless nights, but it was also incredibly rewarding. The production received strong reviews, attracted healthy audiences and later toured fringe festivals, including the Lambeth Fringe in London.

I believe self-producing can be both creatively liberating and deeply empowering.

Learning Social Media Marketing Later in Life

I know what you are thinking,  learning social media marketing later in life can feel overwhelming, especially when it becomes an unexpected but essential part of building a creative career after 50. Yet in today’s theatre world, promoting your work is just as important as creating it, and for many women pursuing playwriting in midlife, it quickly becomes a skill worth embracing.

Promoting a Play Is Almost a Full-Time Job

I felt the same. One of the biggest challenges I faced was social media marketing, but becoming digitally resilient and learning to navigate it step by step turned out to be one of the most valuable skills I developed.

Learning platforms like Instagram from scratch felt intimidating, particularly as someone who didn’t grow up with digital technology. Creating reels, promoting performances and building online visibility all required a completely new skill set.

But marketing matters enormously in theatre. Ultimately, it’s what puts people in seats.

Low-budget marketing ideas include:

• Listing productions on free theatre websites
• Sending press releases to local newspapers
• Designing posters and flyers
• Asking cafés, libraries and arts venues to display promotional material
• Building community through Instagram and Facebook

If your budget allows, hiring a dedicated social media marketer can make a huge difference and frees you to focus on the creative side of production.

The Advantages of Becoming a Playwright After 50

Starting a creative path after 50 can bring clear, practical advantages. For many women who are thinking of developing a career in playwriting in midlife, life experience doesn’t just add depth: it strengthens decision-making, confidence and the ability to write with authority.

In my opinion, one of the greatest gifts of starting later is perspective. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become far more willing to take risks and less concerned about other people’s opinions. I also bring skills from previous careers — including event management and drama teaching — into my theatre work.

Most importantly, I believe my writing voice has deepened with age. Life experience adds texture, emotional complexity and honesty to storytelling. I do believe, those qualities cannot be rushed.

You Are Never Too Old to Start Writing

To sum it up, playwright Caryl Churchill is in her late eighties and still creating extraordinary work. That alone should reassure anyone wondering whether it’s too late to begin. You are never too old to write, and if reading the screen becomes difficult, there’s always the option of increasing the font size.

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