Theatre-Maker Placement with Company of Wolves
Two new paid opportunities for early career theatre-makers in Scotland

Following a successful pilot, Company of Wolves are offering a rare opportunity for 2 early career artists to be embedded in the operations of one of Scotland’s foremost contemporary performance companies, for up to 40 days over an 8-month period.

This development opportunity offers the security of paid work to help promising theatre-makers take the next steps in their journey as artists, producers and leaders, so they’re better placed to make a real impact in the future of Scottish theatre.

The placements will run between June 2026 and January 2027.

Successful applicants will work closely with the Company of Wolves team through a bespoke programme of activities during which you can expect to:

• Learn in depth about the practical aspects of self-producing / running and sustaining a small theatre company in Scotland;
• Receive ongoing mentoring and coaching with the Company of Wolves team;
• Participate as an artist and performer in the research & development phase of our forthcoming production, Agamemnon;
• Take part in Company of Wolves’ flagship training workshops;
• Attend the company's team and board meetings during the placement period, plus relevant sector-wide events.

Our aim is that participating artists will leave this programme with a stronger understanding of the theatre sector in Scotland, a clearer picture of how they want to work and the work they want to make, and an expanded professional network and skillset to help them continue building successful and sustainable careers in Scotland.

Placement artists will be paid a daily rate, plus reasonable expenses as agreed with us, for all their time working with the company.

About Company of Wolves

Company of Wolves is a laboratory theatre company based in Glasgow. Founded in 2012 by Joint Artistic Directors Ewan Downie and Anna Porubcansky, we have developed a unique and powerful approach to training, making and performance based on experimentation, inclusion, collaboration and play.

For more information about us, please visit our website at companyofwolves.org

Content, timescale and commitment

The Theatre-Maker Placements will run for up to 40 days, from June 2026 until the end of January 2027.

The work includes both fixed and flexible elements as outlined below.

Please note that the fixed elements of this placement involve medium to high physical activity, and solo, partner and group work, and include a wide range of activities from meditative practices to running. Please get in touch if you have questions about the scope of this work and its likely demands.

FIXED DATES
Successful candidates must be able to commit to the following fixed dates:

Agamemnon R&D week (5 days in Glasgow)
8 - 12 June 2026

Placement artists will participate in the research & development phase for Company of Wolves’ next show, a new adaptation of Aeschylus’ Agamemnon. They will work collaboratively as part of a team of 5 performers, exploring practical, embodied ways to integrate text, rhythm, song, movement and dance to realise a new version of this Ancient Greek text. The R&D will be supported by Ancient Greek specialist Dr Michael Carroll from the School of Classics at the University of St Andrews.

Movement & Voice Lab (equivalent 3 full days in Glasgow)
5 weekly evenings over Sept/Oct 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed)

Company of Wolves’ ongoing weekly training group will return this autumn, based in our rigorous and playful body-centred training practices. The group will be led by joint artistic directors, Anna Porubcansky and Ewan Downie, and use movement, voice and imagination to connect, develop deep listening to ourselves and others, awaken the sources of our creativity, and shake off old patterning.

Winter Training (6 days in Glasgow / Edinburgh)
Over w/c 11th Jan and w/c 18th Jan 2027 (exact dates to be confirmed)

Winter Training is Company of Wolves' hugely popular annual public workshop, dedicated to waking up our bodies, voices and imaginations to free creativity, develop confidence and resilience, and build connections with other people. These workshops take place in January and are led by Ewan and Anna.

REMOTE AND FLEXIBLE WORK STRANDS
The following work strands will be organised flexibly taking into account your availability and the company’s planned programme for 2026/27. 

Because this is a developmental opportunity, details of these strands will be shaped together with successful candidates, in accordance with their personal and professional development goals. Learning areas may include project management, production, tour-booking, fundraising, general management, financial management, recruiting and working with freelancers, governance, marketing and PR. We anticipate that this will involve:

Shadowing, mentoring, coaching and organisational support (up to 18 days)
Successful candidates will have dedicated time with Company of Wolves’ Artistic Directors, Producer and Company Manager, learning new practical skills and gaining insights into multiple facets of running a company or being a self-producing artist, and will receive mentoring and coaching sessions to support their own career development and skills development.

They will also have the opportunity to contribute to discussions regarding future development of the company’s plans, policies and long-term strategy. We anticipate that within this time we will also support each Placement artist to develop a funding application (e.g. a Creative Scotland Open Fund application) for a project of their own.

Support for Agamemnon script development (2 days) 
Including reading script drafts, contributing to ongoing research as appropriate, contributing to script development conversations with Anna, Ewan and Michael.

Meeting and event attendance (3 days)
Attending Company of Wolves Board meetings, and sector events such as FST meetings.

Optional and schedule dependent: The Bacchae on tour (approx 3 days)
An opportunity to attend THE BACCHAE on tour in Scotland (end May 2026), to gain first-hand experience of the practicalities of touring in different contexts. This is not obligatory and will be subject to individuals’ availability.

Successful candidates may also undertake some practical admin/producing tasks, as appropriate, to support the work of the organisation, in order to gain more hands-on experience of Company of Wolves’ day-to-day operations.

We will work closely with the individuals selected to discuss and refine the shape of this opportunity throughout the process.

JOB DETAILS

Contract type: Freelance

Time commitment: Up to 40 days between June 2026 and Jan 2027, with exact number of days to be mutually agreed.

Fee: £130 per day worked. This is based on a weekly rate of £650 (above ITC minimum) and reflects length of time commitment. 

Expenses: We can also reimburse travel costs and other expenses that are necessary to enable artists to take part; depending on individual needs and subject to discussion and mutual agreement. 

Access: Access support is also available, subject to a conversation with each individual about their specific needs.

For the flexible/remote aspects of the work, Placement artists may work from their own base, or from the Company of Wolves office in central Glasgow if this location is easily accessible for them.

Who we are looking for
We are looking for early-career theatre-makers who have begun to forge their own artistic vision through making work at a professional level. 

Essential criteria:

• You can demonstrate three or more years of professional practice. You have graduated from a degree-level performing arts course that involved a performance element before beginning your professional practice, or have equivalent professional experience. 
• You will have presented at least three pieces of work publicly, outside of an educational context. These must be projects where you were the lead artist or one of the lead artists, working on an idea that you originated or co-originated. This may consist of work presented at scratch nights, readings/sharings, research and development processes, or may extend to having presented full productions.
• You are not in full-time study or training at the time of the placement.
• You are comfortable performing, even if performing is not the main part of your practice or how you self-define your practice.
• For practical reasons, this opportunity is only available to theatre-makers based in Glasgow or within easy travelling distance of Glasgow.

Desired skills and experience

• Some experience of self-producing.
• Ability to be self-supporting administratively.
• IT literate.

In assessing applications, we will be looking for evidence of:

• A clear sense of how this placement would support your professional and personal development.
• Clear artistic ambition, and a commitment to establishing or furthering your own theatre company, or creating/developing a structure to support your own ongoing work as a self-producing artist.
• Understanding of the Scottish theatre sector.
• Clear, effective, professional communication skills.
• Willingness to learn, contribute and try new things.
• Desire to work collaboratively as part of a small team.
• An affinity for the kind of work Company of Wolves make.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Company of Wolves believe in equality of opportunity, and are committed to building a collaborative culture where everyone can do their best work. Our aim is that our work and the people with whom we work reflects the diversity of our society. We particularly encourage people who are currently under-represented* in the Scottish theatre sector to apply for this opportunity. 

Our application process is designed to enable us to make contextual decisions which acknowledge how some artists will have encountered additional barriers while working in the arts (and may therefore have been less able to attain a certain level of experience). If you think this applies to you, please let us know.

How to apply

Please complete the application form here
You will have the option to apply through written answers or in video format, as preferred.

After submitting an application, you will be sent a link to an anonymous Equalities Monitoring Form. Completing this form is voluntary but we appreciate your input in helping us to assess how well we are meeting our Equalities aims.

The Equalities Monitoring Form will be separate from your application and does not form part of the selection process. Information obtained from the form will not be available for the people preparing the shortlist. Data obtained from the forms will be used solely for monitoring purposes and no individual can ever be identified from it.

The application deadline is 5pm on Thursday 9 April. Applications received after this time will not be considered. 

Your application will be read by Company of Wolves’ Artistic Directors Ewan Downie and Anna Porubcansky, and Producer Corinne Salisbury, with additional advice from our Board of Trustees.

We will let you know by Thursday 23 April whether you have been invited to attend an interview. Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed the week beginning 4 and 11 May. Candidates will be informed of our final decision by Monday 18 May.