“I’m not going to die happy”
Vault Creative Arts has named James Rushbrooke’s Before I’m Dead as the winner of the 2026 VCA Playwriting Award.
Rushbrooke’s two-hander was chosen from more than 500 submissions received from around the world – the most competitive field in the award’s two-year history. The prize includes a £2,500 cash award, publication by Methuen Drama, a bespoke mentoring package, and will receive a full four-week production at The Glitch, Waterloo.
Vault Creative Arts, former producers of the Vault Festival, exists to provide an unparalleled quality and quantity of opportunities for artists to develop their craft. One of their flagship programmes, the VCA Playwriting Award, is an annual initiative providing one early-career writer with a fully-realised, professionally produced four-week run of their script. Generously supported by the Garrick Charitable Trust, the initiative also includes publication from Methuen, removing the financial and industry barriers that prevent emerging talent from reaching the stage.
About the play:
Zara is dying. But she’s not about to go out without making some noise.
“I’m not going to die happy, I’m going to die really fucking angry and I want people on Radio 4 to hear all about it.”
At seventeen, with a terminal diagnosis and a very limited tolerance for nonsense, she has one final project: record her own eulogy, in her own words, before her brain tumour makes that impossible. Funny, angry, and absolutely unwilling to be reduced to her illness, Zara is the last person who needs saving.
Stuart thinks he’s there to help. He’s good at helping – he’s built a career out of it, a quiet, careful life of service that keeps his own grief at a comfortable distance. But Zara doesn’t need managing. She needs witnessing. And that’s something Stuart has never quite learned to do.
Funny, furious, and deeply human, Before I’m Dead is a play about what it really means to see another person – not the version they perform for the world, but the real, inconvenient, luminous truth of them.
Oli Savage, Artistic Director & CEO, Vault Creative Art: “We were once again blown away by the quantity and quality of submissions for the VCA Playwriting Award. It goes to show the importance of providing opportunities to emerging writers. All the scripts were brilliant – and I’m thrilled to be working with James on this beautiful and poignant production this year.”
James Rushbrooke, Award Winner 2026: “This is an amazing opportunity and I’m excited to be working with the VCA team. Theatre needs grassroots support and more opportunities, the VCA is a great conduit for new writing and I’m thrilled for my work to be staged at The Glitch.
“Theatre is collaborative and whilst it’s always wonderful to invent characters in your head and throw them onto a page. The real magic of theatre is when other creatives come together to build an imaginary world, bring characters to life and then put it in front of an audience. I’m excited for that process to begin and grateful for the opportunity.”
Simon Marshall, Award Winner 2025: “The VCA Playwriting Prize gave my writing a hugely valuable platform – opportunity to engage with and gain new audiences and connections, and to work with a team who wanted the play to shine.”
Address: The Glitch, 134 Lower Marsh, London, SE1 7AE
Preview Dates: Monday 25th May – Wednesday 27th May
Performance Dates: Thursday 28th May – Sunday 21st June
Performance Times: 7pm nightly except Tuesdays, with a 2pm matinee on Thursdays and Saturdays
Price: £15/£12.50
Ticket link: https://buytickets.at/Vaultcreativearts/2153481
