At a time when opportunities for emerging writers are increasingly scarce, a new and forward-thinking award has been launched to champion original playwriting talent. The Ambassador PEEL Playwriting Challenge has been created to celebrate gifted, unproduced playwrights, offering a fresh route for new voices to bring their work to the stage.
Ambassador Cruise Line is known for its adult-only cruise experiences, alongside a curated selection of multi-generational itineraries, travelling to destinations including the Nordics, Greenland, Iceland, Canada, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Africa. PEEL Entertainment Group, meanwhile, is a leading independent producer recognised for innovation and consistently high-quality productions. Since 1999, PEEL has partnered with major cruise lines, delivering dynamic performances and immersive theatrical experiences at sea.
Through this collaboration, Ambassador Cruise Line invited PEEL to bring its acclaimed Theatre@Sea programme to its ships, Ambience and Ambition, creating an onboard platform for original theatre.
The inaugural Playwriting Challenge attracted 260 entrants. Following an extensive judging process, Venison by Huw Turnbull and The Splintered Globe by Bryan Moriarty were shortlisted. To mark the final, a unique extract play reading was staged aboard Ambassador Ambition at the London International Cruise Terminal in Tilbury, in the very theatre where the winning play will later be performed for a six-month season.
Winner of the Ambassador PEEL Playwright Challenge, Huw Turnbull, (right) with runner-up, Bryan Moriarty.
Judged by a distinguished panel of figures from theatre, writing and cruise entertainment, including Dr Jessica Lazar, Dr Alison Norrington, Nathan Queely Dennis and Susannah Daley, Huw Turnbull was announced as the 2025 winner. Theatre@Sea will now oversee the production of Venison, appointing a director and professional production team to bring Turnbull’s vision to life.
Inspired by society’s modern fascination with true crime, Venison explores what might happen when that obsession goes too far. The black comedy farce follows Dan, Bill and Max as they arrive at a dinner party expecting to see their friend Jane. Instead, they are greeted by her unsettling boyfriend Jerry and the promise of venison on the menu. As tensions rise in the kitchen, the awkward gathering spirals into a gripping murder mystery, interrogating the ethics of consuming true crime as entertainment.
On receiving the award, Turnbull commented: “Opportunities for new writers are few and far between, particularly those that offer a full professional production over an extended period. Winning this award is an extraordinary prospect for both me and my work. It is hard to imagine gaining this level of exposure anywhere else at this stage of my career. That my play will be seen by thousands of guests aboard Ambassador Ambition still hasn’t quite sunk in.”
The other shortlisted playwrights for 2025 were Tony Pipes (The Understudy), Michael Davies (The Seagull Has Landed), Clare Shaw (Mr Sisyphus), Rhys Bevan (The Early Years), James Rushbrooke (Fur and Loathing / Claws for Concern), Mary Portalska (Nick of Time), Keiran Lines (Equilibrium), Brian Murray (The Odyssey (re-Told)) and Claudia Feilding (Tea Leaves).
A platform for emerging voices to make waves in contemporary theatre – and one set to be heard far beyond the shore.
Author: Linda Hunting
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