A STAGE FOR YOU?

Explore our current projects and opportunities to bring your work to life.

Three great theatres have very generously given us space to put on new plays - The Stables Theatre in Hastings, the iconic Old Red Lion and The Hen & Chickens in London — creating a powerful platform for new, original plays to debut in Hastings before taking them to the capital. New writers only - 

Two incredible productions are already lined up:

  • 30th and 31st October 2026 – Monologues of Men

That leaves two slots open for new and courageous plays ONE SLOT FILLED - VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS ONE!!!!

  • 25–26 February 2027
  • 13–14 May 2027 - THE VITAL IMPORTANCE OF BEING OSCAR! - A HISTORICAL FARCE FOR SERIOUS TIMES - BY J.M WINFIELD

We’re now inviting submissions of full-length plays written by brave, authentic voices. Send us your scripts, proposals, hopes and dreams — the chosen work will be fully produced by us at Pen to Paper Productions and showcased both in Hastings and London.

Your story. Your stage. Your moment.

MARGATE BARRED
6 x 30' Drama Series
Contemporary | Social Realism

Logline
On a neglected council estate caught between gentrified Margate and affluent Ramsgate, an ex-con returns after ten years in prison seeking redemption, only to find a new generation fighting to escape through music, poetry and art instead of crime.

Series Premise
Newington Green is an estate where regeneration has transformed the streets but left its people behind. When Danny Franks comes home after serving ten years for manslaughter, he struggles to rebuild his life through poetry and redemption while confronting the ghosts of his past. At the heart of the estate is a tight-knit road crew led by charismatic rapper Bobby. Together, they believe their music, poetry and creativity offer a way out—but escaping the estate means overcoming loyalty, violence, and the pull of the lives they've always known.

CAST and CREW 

Danny Franks - CHRISTOPER SHERWOOD

Once a violent drug dealer; now a man trying to live as a poet and peacemaker. Fresh out of prison and desperate to reconnect with his daughter, he seeks a place in a world that doesn't want him. Idealistic but haunted, Danny’s greatest battle is proving to himself he can change. CONFIRMED FOR 14TH OCTOBER - 

Ali Banks - FRANCIS SAUNDERS

Drug Dealer since aged 13, hardened and ruthless. A born manipulator who thrives on control and chaos. Danny’s old rival and the estate’s self-made kingpin— CONFIRMED 14TH OCTOBER

Petra Franks - CLAIRE MARIE FOX

Danny’s estranged wife.  Fiercely protective of her daughter, she’s built a new life that Danny’s return threatens. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Jade Franks - MADI McCONE

Danny’s 20-year-old daughter - Traumatized by his arrest but drawn back to him through the secret cache of letters and poems her mother hid for her own safety..CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Road man Bobby - SALEM ADWAZI

Served time for killing his abusive father. Expresses trauma through rap and poetry. OCD, laser-focused, and charismatic leader of the 4B3G crew

Road man Tyrone - CHAS GRANT

Angry, fatherless, fiercely independent. His bars are rage and rebellion, but behind the hostility lies the ache of abandonment. CONFIRMED 14 th OCTOBER

Road man Louis - DYLAN REEVES - FELLOWS

Gay, sensitive, and secretly the emotional core of the group. Cares for his mentally ill father while slipping between Margate’s underbelly and Ramsgate’s posh hedonism. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Road man Stephan - OLIVER POPE

The artist. Loyal, modest, and quietly brilliant; dreams of art school but trapped by fear and circumstance. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Road Girl Jenny - NICOLE NABI

Road Girls’ leader. Balances caring for her dying mum with tough-love leadership. Her tenderness hides behind sharp bars and unshakeable pride. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Road Girl Mandy - STELLA MATTHEWS

Loud, bright, endlessly driven. Works in a care home, dreams of nursing, and fuels the group’s ambition through sheer force of will. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Road Girl Kylie - CHLOE JAMIESON

The youngest. Sweet, naìˆve, and always in trouble—her warmth mistaken for weakness CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Kelly - SARAH JANE

Halfway-house supervisor. Blunt, bureaucratic, fair but unyielding. She’s seen too many “changed men” slip back, yet beneath her armour lies empathy shaped by loss. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Debbie - LISA HARMER

Road Girl Jenny’s dying mum - Determined to leave a legacy for her daughter Road girl Jenny CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Andrew - DAVID MATTHEWS

Road Man Louie’s schizophrenic dad. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

 Kim - SARAH CLARKE

Wife of Danny’s murder victim - Full of hate - Venom and revenge. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

Bathrobe Man- JASON WYSTERIA

DFL is addicted to drugs and drink. CONFIRMED 14TH OCTOBER

 

WRITTEN BY

Dean Stalham - A British self-taught playwright, artist, and community activist from north London (born c. 1963–1964), known for turning his prison experiences into creative work focused on crime, rehabilitation, and social exclusion. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

DIRECTED BY JANE GULL

Jane Gull is a British independent filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer best known for character-driven dramas that explore themes of social inclusion, resilience, and human relationships. CONFIRMED 14th OCTOBER

PRODUCED BY PEN TO PAPER PRODUCTIONS

Pen to Paper Productions is an independent community production company based in Hastings specializing in Film and Theatre -