The Children’s Inquiry is a bold verbatim musical by Barnsley-based LUNG, amplifying the real voices of four care-experienced teenagers from Essex. Created in response to the UK’s broken care system, the production fused urgent testimony with electronic music, performed by a cast of 20 outstanding child actors, auditioned from thousands of young people nationwide. Co-written by Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead, with music from Owen Crouch and Clementine Douglas, the show earned critical acclaim for its artistic excellence, authenticity, and emotional power.

The piece confronted 100+ years of care history in a single evening, using children’s voices as a powerful act of political theatre. Its impact reached Parliament, with MPs and councillors attending, and over 2,700 students engaged in accompanying workshops. Its legacy lives on through LUNG’s continued partnership with care-experienced creatives, ensuring these vital voices remain heard, empowered, and central to future change.

In just one year as Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre, David Byrne has re-energised new writing in British theatre.

Appointed in 2024, Byrne’s debut season shattered box office records and won three Olivier Awards, including Best New Play for Giant. He launched a wave of new grassroots support for playwrights nationwide, and his season championed ten debut playwrights. It featured a number of plays that tackled bold, complex subjects - from antisemitism and Chinese state oppression to South Asian grooming and Afro-surrealism - all of which achieved critical and commercial success, defying expectations.

Byrne has brought a radical approach to a national institution, reigniting belief in new writing’s cultural importance. At a time of deep sector uncertainty, his leadership has offered bold artistic quality and fearless cultural stewardship.