The Marlowe Theatre’s Writers’ Room Festival continues to champion new voices in theatre. Kent-based playwright Eloise Fairley spoke ahead of the script-in-hand reading of her new play Calcite at the festival on 1 May 2026.

Fairley describes the experience as deeply meaningful, noting that performing at her “home theatre with a play so intrinsically about place” represents a crucial early-career opportunity. She characterises Calcite as exploring femininity and rural identity across generations, examining “what it is to be a woman in rurality.”

The interview emphasises the importance of regional theatre supporting new writers. Fairley observes that without venues like the Marlowe backing emerging talent, “how else can we show the industry what we’re trying to do?”