Open call for pitches
We open our books for pitches a few times a year, to plan the next few seasons of shows. This is usually 6-8 months before each show.
Pitches are currently OPEN. If you’re a budding director or a producer, read on and see if KDC might be a good place to hone your next project!
Pitches close on 30 April 2025!
What we’re looking for
Fringe-y or contemporary or classical plays, or devised projects, that can be auditioned in September 2025 and presented in November 2025 or auditioned in January 2026 and presented in March 2026. Since we are a fringe-type company and we rely on family and friends to come see our shows, we encourage casts over 6 actors (mind the size of the theatres we work with for the max number of cast members!) to ensure the actors get a lovely full house each show night.
Our spec is deliberately open. As we try to give opportunities for actors and directors to get involved in a range of work, we aim to do something known (a Shakespeare or classical or contemporary play) and something unknown (new writing or devised or obscure) each season. Please feel free to pitch multiple projects, it allows us more freedom to balance the season and makes it more likely we can choose you. We encourage it, really 😉
We would like to keep a fresh take on anything we do, so if you do pitch something that is very well known (e.g. Romeo & Juliet) then we would be particularly interested in what will make your production unique. We also love the opportunity to stage something a bit riskier, something a bit more different.
What we need from you
- A motivated, creative, ambitious director
- An interesting play or project that will be fun & fulfilling for cast & audience
- A production team
We wouldn’t recommend pitching as a lone director – it can get quite lonely at the top. You should bring with you someone that can fill the role of Assistant Director, or Co-Director, or Producer, or Dramaturg, etc. or have a plan to fill a role like that before auditions, so that you don’t have to carry the show on your own. KDC can help but we cannot find people for you. - A frugal and inventive use of budget (we are a charity!)
- A minimum cast of 6, the maximum should be whatever fits in the theatres we use
- A play or project of about 90-120 minutes, with an interval (the theatres we work with charge more for shows without an interval)
- A considered financial consideration (how will you use your budget, how will you sell tickets, how will you be clever with your budget?)
What we provide
- Audition & rehearsal space (about 8 hours of rehearsal per week for 6-8 weeks).
- Theatre hire for your performance week.
We use a selection of theatres in Zone 1 & 2 in London, for example Lion & Unicorn Theatre (Kentish Town), Drayton Arms (South Kensington), and Barons Court Theatre (West Kensington) are all frequent haunts of ours. They are all pub theatres (i.e. spaces above or below a pub) that have an audience capacity of about 50. - Marketing on our email list, website, socials, etc. for audition and then later audience.
- £450 show budget for props, costume, logistics etc.
- Rights to the show if needed (copyrighted plays need rights, and these are not always available. Another reason why it is a good idea to pitch multiple shows.)
- Advice & support from KDC creative team.
You don’t need experience per se but if you have never directed before, then you should try to bring some experience on your production team. KDC can & will support you, but we have limited capacity.
If this all sounds like something you’re up for, send us your ideas using both forms below! We cannot process one form alone, so please make sure you fill out both forms.
Fill in this form to tell us about yourself:
And then fill in this form, one per show you would like to pitch:
What happens next
You can submit your pitch at any time.
We aim to interview everybody who applies, but we are a small team and this is not always possible. Keep an eye on your inbox (and spam folder!) for an email from us after you submit your pitch.
If your pitch is successful, we will discuss with you the details of dates, locations, auditions, etc. We will apply for rights for your show, if required, and once that is all agreed with the license holder we will announce!