Applications are now open for A Pleasance Scratch on 18th & 25th November!
The Pleasance is proud to support a large number of developing artists every year through our various Pleasance Futures initiatives, and our scratch nights are an opportunity for you to have the first glimpse at what these talented theatre makers are creating next.
We offer the free opportunity to perform on our Main House stage, free rehearsal space, free photography and mentoring through our theatre department.
We provide:
Each project should:
Deadline: Friday 25th September, 6PM
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
We’re looking for six short plays, and actors to perform in them.
LEG BREAKERS is a scratch night. It's an opportunity for writers to push themselves, to try new things, or just give it a go. It’s open to anyone, whether this is your first play, or your hundred and first.
This time we have a prompt that the scripts should be written to. It goes like this: A threshold has been reached. A decision must be made, or a step must be taken. This is the most important moment of their life or lives, but this doesn’t have to be clear.
If your script is selected, it’ll be performed at the event in front of a supportive audience. We provide dramaturgy, rehearsal time, and you’ll also receive audience feedback.
WRITER CALLOUT:
We’re looking for six original short plays up to 15 minutes. This is roughly 13-15 pages in size 14. The plays should be inspired by and written to our prompt. Fresh, scrappy pieces are encouraged - just hit us with your best shot.
PROMPT // Leg Breakers 002 - THRESHOLD
A threshold has been reached. A decision must be made, or a step must be taken. This is the most important moment of their life or lives, but this doesn't have to be known to them.
Bonus points if you include a joke that makes nobody in the audience laugh.
We're looking for bold, strange, heartfelt, funny, furious, and everything in between when exploring the prompt above. Most of all, we want it to sound like you. No stress, no worries, no judgement, just hit us with your best shot, and we’ll love it no matter what.
Please submit your script as a PDF, in a clear and legible font such as Arial or Garamond, size 14. Submissions must be in the English language, as we don't currently have the capacity to translate work. We encourage restraint in terms of cast size, to a maximum of 4 characters.
Each selected piece will be performed by our team of actors, with dramaturgical support, photography, and video footage provided, so you’ll get a real sense of how your work lands in the room. While our actors might not exactly fit the specific casting for your piece, we invite you to treat this as a chance to explore and play, rather than something restrictive. All writers will also be required to share marketing copy about their script as well as contribute to our website advertising the evening with content about their plays and their work so far.
Deadline: Friday 2 October 2026
Fee for selected writers: £250
Date of event: Friday 27 November 2026
We welcome writers at all stages — whether you’re brand new or have a few scripts under your belt. We believe new writing is vital to the survival of theatre, and to capture the strange time we’re living through.
If anything’s unclear or you’ve got questions, drop us a line at info@cloudburstltd.co.uk.
PERFORMER CALLOUT:
We are looking to assemble a team of Greater Manchester based talent who are passionate about bringing new writing to life. We're currently looking for four performers and are keen to hear from recent graduates, anyone who considers themselves to be emerging and those often underrepresented on our stages.
Leg Breakers is an encouraging and supportive environment for creatives to connect and develop new work.
Please submit your Bio, Website, Spotlight or Showreel Link for consideration.
Application Deadline: Friday 2 October 2026
Rehearsal Dates: 25, 26, 27 November 2026
Performance Date: 27 November 2026
Fee: £420.00 (3 days @ £140 per day)
If anything’s unclear or if you’ve got questions, drop us a line on info@cloudburstltd.co.uk.
This is a paid opportunity. Deadline is October 2nd 2026.
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
A Slice of the Pie is A Play, A Pie and A Pint’s scratch night, which takes place three times a year at Òran Mór in Glasgow. This is typically February, July, and November.
A Slice of the Pie aims to engage new artists who A Play, A Pie and A Pint (PPP) have not worked with before in a paid capacity, letting new emerging artists take centre stage at every Slice night.
Artists involved with A Slice of the Pie are able to develop their practice on the PPP stage, get to know the PPP team and build new relationships with fellow artists.
All opportunities to work on the scratch night are openly recruited for, to level the playing field within the industry. Each night showcases the work of 3 writers, 3 directors, and 5 performers.
DIRECTOR CALLOUT:
We are looking for three directors to direct one piece each.
The callout is open to any directors who are 18+ years old, based in Scotland, have never worked with us in a paid capacity, and have some directing experience.
PERFORMER CALLOUT:
We are looking for performers to act as part of the ensemble cast.
The callout is open to performers who are 18+ years old, based in Scotland and have not worked with us in a paid capacity. We are particularly interested in hearing from performers who identify as Global Majority.
DEADLINE: Mon 14 Sep, 12pm (midday)
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Bristol Old Vic are partnering with Good Chance Theatre to offer an exciting new opportunity for a producer with experience of forced displacement to join our team for five months.
ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT AND STAGE DOOR:
Bristol Old Vic's Engagement department encompasses Young Company; one of the largest regional youth theatres in the UK, work with community groups and schools, training projects for young artists across the South West and co-created heritage projects.
Stage Door is Good Chance Theatre’s flagship programme dedicated to creating bespoke paid trainee opportunities for creatives from refugee and asylum-seeking backgrounds. The programme celebrates and nurtures creative industry professionals while addressing the imbalance of opportunities available to people who have been displaced.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:
To produce the Connections Festival 2027 in collaboration with the Engagement Team.
National Theatre Connections is the National Theatre’s annual, nationwide youth theatre festival and comprises of venues all over the country hosting Youth theatre productions of scripts written specifically for young people. Bristol Old Vic has been a partner venue for the festival for over 13 years and will host 8 youth theatre productions over a week in March 2027.
INTERVIEWS:
Interview date: 14th October 2026 at Bristol Old Vic Theatre
APPLICATION:
To apply, please submit the following materials to: HR@bristololdvic.org.uk
DEADLINE: 1 Oct 2026, 12:00 (midday)
For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Are you an emerging actor based in the Liverpool City Region? Are you passionate about acting and performance, keen to develop your skills, and excited by the opportunity to work collaboratively as part of an ensemble? If so, Actors LAB could be for you!
We’re bringing together six local actors with writer Billie Collins and director Ameera Conrad to explore ideas for a brand-new piece of writing for young people aged 13–25, around the theme of Connection.
As part of Actors LAB, you’ll have the chance to:
Whether you’re at the beginning of your professional acting journey or looking for an opportunity to deepen your practice, Actors LAB is a space to experiment, collaborate and develop your skills alongside other emerging local performers.
Essential information:
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
The upskilling workshops are part of our brand-new Artist Development Programme, designed to support emerging disabled artists in developing their professional artistic career and practice. Led by leading disability arts organisations, you will have the opportunity to develop skills to grow your artistic practice.
What can I expect from an upskilling workshop?
When and where are the workshops?
Programme:
Monday 7th September 2026, 3-5pm - ‘Creative Leadership: Making Space to Lead’ with Corali
Dancers from Corali will talk about how to enable learning disabled performers take a lead role in creative processes. By exploring Corali’s own methods of making original dance works, they will showcase how learning disabled creatives can grow in confidence and develop as leaders.
Monday 14th September 2026, 3-5pm - Top Tips for Self-Producing with Alison King (Chief Executive, Turtle Key Arts)
Want to understand what a producer does? Learn about the logistics behind setting up your project, budget tips, funding, how to work with a team and a producer, as well as tips on how to self produce at the beginning of your career journey.
Monday 21st September 2026, 3-5pm - ‘Pathways to Developing Disabled Leadership in the Arts’ with Extant
Artistic Director, Dr. Maria Oshodi of Extant, the UK’s longest performing arts company of visually impaired artists, will lead a session on pathways to developing disabled leadership in the arts. Referencing the different methods which Extant has established over the last 30 years, this session will explore the challenges and successes of practical and tested ideas, such as peer academy theatre training, in-house Artistic Director training and organisational dramaturgy; all through an interactive and lively approach.
Monday 28th September 2026, 3-5pm - TBC
Monday 5th October 2026, 3-5pm - 'Presenting Me' with Access All Areas
Access All Areas’ Artistic Director, Nick Llewellyn, and Associate Director, Emma Selwyn, discuss the ideas behind some of Access All Areas’ shows. They explore autobiographical performance-making through videos and practical demonstrations. Workshop participants will reflect on how they can draw on their own experiences, and use these experiences to think through how to develop potential new contemporary shows.
For more information and to sign up, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Part of Punchdrunk's Community Workshops
Back by popular demand, join actor and theatre practitioner Kat McGarr for this playful introduction to the world of comedy and clowning.
Through games, improvisation and practical exercises drawn from Kat’s career – and influenced by her training with Philippe Gaulier and The Groundlings – you’ll explore some of the core techniques performers use to discover humour, connect with an audience, and embrace the freedom of being gloriously ridiculous.
KEY INFORMATION:
For more information and to sign up, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Applications are now open for Sprint Festival 2027.
FESTIVAL OVERVIEW:
The most intense hit you’ll find, anywhere in the UK, of ambitious new performance: CPT’s annual SPRINT festival is back! Every Spring, we throw open our doors to artists at the very start of their careers making bold and brand new work. (And "early career" hasn't got anything to do with age - whether you're 18 or 108, we want to hear from you). For four weeks, that work populates our stage, twisting theatre into new shapes and fashioning fantastic experiences for audiences.
In years gone by, SPRINT has showcased early work by artists including Sh!t Theatre, Vijay Patel, Liv Ello, Frankie Thompson, Nina Bowers and more. If you’ve got a current, compelling and cutting-edge performance project brewing, one that needs support or a showcase to be its best self, let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
CALLOUT FOR ARTISTS:
The majority of programming slots will be for work that is finished and performance-ready by March 2026. We will also consider works-in-progress and ‘scratch’ performances.
We welcome and encourage applications from artists from a socio-economic background under-represented in the arts; and/or who identify as:
*This includes people of Black Caribbean, Black African, South Asian, East Asian, South East Asian, Middle Eastern, Arab, Latinx, Jewish, Romany and Irish Traveller heritage.
WHAT WE ARE AND AREN'T LOOKING FOR:
We want: Performance the likes of which we’ve never seen before. New shows, new ways of making theatre, new experiences for audiences.
We don’t want: Revivals of classic plays; academic projects; dance (as opposed to dance-theatre). Much as we love all that stuff, it’s not what Sprint exists to support and stage.
WHAT WE PROVIDE:
The CPT arrangement with SPRINT artists is flexible according to the needs of each show, but our default offer in 2027 is:
DEADLINE: Midday 23 September
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Are you a musician, singer, rapper or spoken word artist aged 15-25? Want to experiment, collaborate and create something completely new?
Nu Noize: Next Sound Collective is a free three-month creative music project bringing together talented young artists from across Liverpool to collaborate with professional musicians and develop an original new sound.
You’ll explore what happens when different musical styles, cultures and influences come together — from hip hop and R&B to Chinese traditional music and beyond.
What will you do?
You'll be supported by:
Kofi Owusu – Go Play Studios
Zi Lan Liao – Musician & CEO, Pagoda Arts
Paisleigh Bi – R&B artist & songwriter
Whether you're an established young artist or simply excited about making music and trying something different, we want to hear from you.
How to apply:
Send to Leonisha@20storieshigh.org.uk:
Don't worry about recording quality — we simply want to hear what you do.
Essential information:
For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Not sure of your next steps? Front line gives 16-30-year-olds the opportunity to discover more about careers in theatre and develop key transferable skills through paid placements with our Front Of House team.
Participants will watch one of our productions, shadow various members of staff and take on important roles welcoming visitors to our theatre. The project culminates with a CV and interview skills workshop to help you take the next steps in your career.
ABOUT THE PROGRAMME:
Front Line is a paid work experience opportunity for people who are keen to explore jobs in hospitality and customer service. By taking part in Front Line, you will gain up to 26 hours of paid on-the-job experience in the following areas:
All sessions are paid at London Living Wage (£14.80 per hour).
WHO IS THIS PROGRAMME?
Front Line is designed to support people who have little to no work experience take their first steps into the world of work in a supported and inclusive environment. No prior experience is necessary in order to take part, but we are looking for participants who are passionate about customer service and working with people.
You must:
We are committed to identifying and resolving barriers which may ordinarily exclude people from accessing theatre and will prioritise people who have had limited or no access to arts opportunities in the past. This includes people from the global majority, care-experienced people, carers, disabled people, neurodivergent people, people from working-class backgrounds and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
HOW TO APPLY:
Front Line cohorts will run from Nov–Dec 2026 and Jan–Feb 2027. Applications are now open and will close on Tue 15 Sep at 5pm. Head to our website to apply.
We will be holding an online information session on Mon 07 Sep at 2.30–3.30pm to talk more about the programme and answer any questions.
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
