Writing West Midlands is once again teaming up with Birmingham Libraries to recruit the next two Poets Laureate for 2026-28:
The Birmingham Poet Laureate and Birmingham Young Poet Laureate are honorary posts appointed by Birmingham Libraries and Writing West Midlands.
The successful candidates should be residents of Birmingham, or work or study in the city, and will be able to show their commitment to writing and sharing their poetry. They should be comfortable with the idea of sharing with an audience and speaking about their work. They will be expected to be an ambassador for the city of Birmingham and its many communities and areas.
The Birmingham Poet Laureate and Birmingham Young Poet Laureate are asked to undertake a small number of honorary duties during their tenure, including writing poems to commemorate significant moments. They will be expected to share their work at events and to encourage an interest in poetry across the city. We are particularly keen that the Poets Laureate use their work to encourage people to engage with the city’s public libraries.
While the posts are honorary and the roles are voluntary, payments are sometimes made for work that is particularly time consuming. The adult Poet Laureate in particular will be supported by Writing West Midlands to develop their creative work.
The position of Birmingham Poet Laureate was the UK’s first ‘city laureate’, with the first appointment being made in 1998. In 2005, the position of Birmingham Young Poet Laureate was set up.
In-person interviews for both posts will take place on Saturday 19th September 2026 (Adult post in the morning, Young post in the afternoon). Interviews will take place in central Birmingham. An appointment event will take place on Sunday 11th October 2026.
Join us next Friday for Stories in Focus, a free creative workshop for South Asian Londoners aged 18-30, inspired by Blue Mist and facilitated by JMK Award-winning theatre director Adam Karim.
Created as part of the Blue Mist Young Producers Programme with Boundless Theatre, this workshop uses photographs as creative prompts alongside storytelling and performance, creating a space for South Asian young people to come together, connect, and explore their own stories through creative collaboration
Friday 10 July - Studio Wayne McGregor, Here East, London E15 2HB | 4:00–6:00pm
All participants will receive a free ticket to see Blue Mist that evening.
A UK-wide free training programme for ages 18–30
Dive into the world of theatre-making and shape the future of theatre with OV Theatre Makers, a free, six-month training programme.
With the support of director Joseph Hancock and leading professional theatre makers, you’ll explore contemporary theatre-making practices to provide you with a toolkit of skills to begin developing your own work and career. Developing a broad range of theatre making skills from writing and devising to directing and producing you will then have the chance to showcase your work in a Scratch Night at a professional theatre venue.
Travel to London will be required and we’re able to support with costs if needed.
The programme will include:
Actor-musicians are increasingly in-demand performers who combine first-rate acting ability with a high level of musicianship.
Mountview’s Actor Musicianship course develops these dual skills to the highest level, enabling graduates to combine them in their performance.
Whilst a high level of prior musical experience is a pre-requisite, it is not necessary to have achieved formal music qualifications before applying.
COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY
Study takes place over three 12-week terms a year for three years. It is an actor training programme with specialised music elements. Students work in small classes and receive over 25 hours of direct teaching time each week, including one-to-one singing and instrumental lessons.
The course is delivered through classes, projects, workshops and performance opportunities. During the course students engage in a range of performance projects, working on Shakespeare, contemporary plays, and musicals as well as devising original work. The first half of each term is devoted to skills classes whilst in the second half of each term these skills are applied to performance projects.
In the second year, skills are further explored in collaboration classes which include peer integration and team teaching to enhance your creativity and help you to make connections between subjects.
Additionally, there is time given to tailored ‘surgeries’ to focus on detail and help develop independence and confidence in each individual’s practice.
Mountview is currently the only UK drama school to offer Directing, Dramatic Writing and Producing as three distinct, specialised pathways within a single, unified Creative Practice MA framework. The course is designed for multi-hyphenate practitioners who are excited by collaboration and meeting the demands of the twenty-first century creative industries.
By bringing directors, writers and producers into one ecosystem, the course mirrors the professional world by fostering creative partnerships through shared engagement with modes of collaboration, creative enterprise, dramatic structures and critical contexts.
Students on the Dramatic Writing pathway develop an in-depth knowledge of dramatic structures and the core competencies for writing across different forms and styles. The course develops an understanding and critical awareness of current practice through engagement with industry practitioners and academics. You will be mentored by award-winning playwright Roy Williams OBE (Death of England National Theatre, Sucker Punch Royal Court), who oversees aspects of the course as Distinguished Visiting Artist.
The course concludes with the opportunity to put your learning into practice through the staging of a public facing, fully-realised festival of new work. VIEW Festival allows students to develop their pathway specific skills while also collaborating closely with the Producing, Directing and Performance students.
Our MA Creative Practice graduates leave with an established network of industry contacts and prepared for high-impact careers as Playwrights, Screenwriters, Dramaturgs, Directors, Creative Leaders, Theatre Makers, Artistic Directors, Commercial and Independent Producers and Venue Leaders.
STAFF AND PRACTITIONERS
The Creative Practice teaching team is led by Hamish Pirie and Dawn Ingleson as Joint Course Leaders, alongside Roy Williams as Distinguished Visiting Artist. Dawn worked extensively at the National Theatre as a creative producer and has also taught at LSBU, while Hamish’s directing credits include work at the Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, Paines Plough and Traverse Theatre. Roy is a multi-award winning writer whose credits include Death of England: The Plays (National Theatre), The Lonely Londoners (Kiln and Jermyn Street Theatre) and Sucker Punch (Royal Court, Olivier Award nomination).
In addition to working alongside the core teaching team, MA Creative Practice students also benefit from industry masterclasses specific to their pathway, led by the world’s most prestigious creative powerhouses. Recent MA Creative Practice sessions have featured:
We offer opportunities to explore technical theatre, stage management and design for young people aged 11-18.
Our courses and masterclasses give creative young people the opportunity to gain a real insight into drama school training and the wider 'backstage' industries. Specialist classes are delivered by a variety of professionals, in skills including lighting, sound, stage management, prop making, costume and set design.
Across a two-day short course, you will have the chance to try a variety of backstage roles and skills in a series of hands-on workshops with specialist tutors who are working professionals. No previous experience is necessary - just an interest in getting creative, an enjoyment of making things, and a willingness to get stuck in!
There are opportunities for anyone who is interested in learning some of the skills required for careers in:
We are committed to giving every young person aged 11 - 18 with a passion for theatre the opportunity to benefit from the specialist drama training delivered by RWCMD, regardless of experience or financial means.
We place great importance on making our courses accessible to all young people who have a genuine interest in theatre, if you have any questions regarding financial support please get in touch.
Illuminate Drama Teacher CPD Day is back for its fifth year on the South Coast!
Join us in person for a full day of inspiring workshops, featuring exciting opportunities to meet and talk with theatre education specialists, industry professionals, and fellow drama teachers.
This year we will have three workshops throughout the day that will each take a deep dive into different practices over the course of two hours. You will get to partake in all the following workshops:
Workshops will take place across both of our venues: Mayflower Theatre and Mayflower Studios.
There will also be the exclusive opportunity to see Blood Brothers at Mayflower Theatre for an additional £20 to round off a theatrical and inspiring day!
Please note spaces are limited and available on a first-come-first-served basis. Payment must be made before Friday 19 December 2026 otherwise your place will be released.
Mercury Essex Playwrights Award, a major new initiative designed to champion both emerging and established playwrights from across Greater Essex.
Supported by GreyFriars Hotel, the award marks a significant new investment in regional talent and reflects the Mercury’s ongoing commitment to developing and producing exceptional new writing.
Supported by the Marcela Trust, this is the first year of a new playwrighting award championing both established and emerging writers from Greater Essex.
Over recent years, the Mercury has been proud to have been able to profile the work of Essex-based writers through workshops, masterclasses and productions on both the main stage and in the studio space Recent successes have included Flumps by Emma Jo Pallett which won UK Theatre’s Best New Play award in 2025, the world premiere of The Manningtree Witches by Ava Pickett in 2026, and a new stage adaptation of Toto the Ninja Cat and the Great Snake Escape, based on the bestselling book by Colchester-born Dermot O’Leary. These productions sit alongside a growing body of acclaimed new work developed and staged by the Mercury, including Martha Loader’s award-winning Bindweed and Tassa Deparis’ Swallow the Lake.
The Mercury is committed to supporting local writers. We are seeking Essex writers from all backgrounds with new ideas and new stories. Your work can be any genre or style - be contemporary or historical.
The winner of the Mercury Essex Playwrights Award will receive a full commission, dramaturgical support from the Mercury’s artistic team, and a fully staged production in the Mercury Studio during 2027. In addition to the production, the winner will receive dramaturgical support from our Literary Associate Kenny Emson and our Artistic Director, Natasha Rickman. You will also work closely with our Talent and New Work Producer, Katie Cutmore.
The Mercury is committed to supporting local writers. We are seeking Essex writers from all backgrounds with new ideas and new stories. Your work can be any genre or style – be contemporary or historical.
The winner of the Mercury Essex Playwrights Award will receive a full commission, dramaturgical support from the Mercury’s artistic team, and a fully staged production in the Mercury Studio during 2027.
In addition to the production, the winner will receive dramaturgical support from our Literary Associate Kenny Emson and our Artistic Director, Natasha Rickman. You will also work closely with our Talent and New Work Producer, Katie Cutmore.
The Bill Cashmore Award offers a paid opportunity for two new one-act plays by writers aged 18-30, to be professionally produced at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Bristol Old Vic.
The two winning plays will run as a double bill and will be performed by the Bristol Old Vic’s Young Company and Young SixSix in April 2027, and the Lyric’s SPRINGBOARD trainee actors in August 2027.
The award is kindly supported by the Bill Cashmore Award Founder Sasha Bates.
We particularly welcome submissions from those who are underrepresented in theatre and/or situated in areas culturally underserved.
The two successful writers will:
Leeds Playhouse are delighted to be once again joining forces with Rollem Productions, BBC and Leeds City Council to support new writing in Yorkshire and continue the legacy of Kay Mellor. The Kay Mellor Fellowship is a year-long paid opportunity for a writer based in Yorkshire and the Humber to develop their writing for stage and screen.
The Kay Mellor Fellow 2027 will spend twelve months on attachment with Leeds Playhouse and Rollem Productions. During the 12 months they will:
This is not a full-time role, and it is expected that the writer will undertake other paid work outside of the fellowship. Working hours and timetables will be agreed with the fellowship holder.
