Shape Arts has partnered with The Literary Consultancy for another year to facilitate their Free Reads scheme which provides opportunities for professional feedback for low-income writers from underrepresented backgrounds. TLC, the UK’s leading literary consultancy, run the scheme every year, helping hundreds of writers on to publication, but its main aim is to support writers developing their work and honing their writing craft through structured constructive feedback.
Free Reads provides free access to a professional reader, who will provide written feedback on a sample of your work. The pool of writers will b e decided by Shape following a selection process. All selected writers will receive access to TLC’s ‘Being A Writer’ online portal for 6 months.
This service is available for extracts or full manuscripts across the following formats:
Alongside the main Manuscript Assessments, TLC are offering additional support this year to apply to. This includes:
You can find out more about each of these additional support packages via the TLC website.
Elevate is a skills-building programme for socially engaged theatre-makers and artists who are interested in working with a specific community of people. It is designed as a practical, explorative course that we hope builds a lasting creative community. We have a cohort of practitioners signed up for the term, but we also open up some sessions (six in total) for all to pay to book on to.
what will I do in this workshop?
You’ll really get to grips with what a social enterprise is
We’ll talk you through creating a simple business plan and budget
We’ll look into mapping your journey and creating an action plan to come away with
Whilst this day will be focussed on undertaking this work as a theatre practitioner, we believe other artists will benefit from this too.
If the price is a barrier for you to attending the workshop, please email rosa@acta-bristol.com to discuss how we can help you attend.
Access: The workshop will be in our theatre which is accessed via five steps. A lift is available for those who need it. We have an accessible toilet on site. We're keen to accommodate you and can work to help out with further access requests. For example, we can offer use of on-site wheelchairs and walkers, we can save a spot for you in our carpark, allocate a free ticket to your carer or companion, sighted guiding, any printouts can be provided in large print, and more.
We are very keen to accommodate you - please reach out to request adjustments (including any you have that are not listed above) by contacting rosa@acta-bristol.com
This year we are offering a full term ticket - this will give you entry to every workshop in the series, at a 25% discount. That must be booked before the first workshop, Creative Facilitation on 16th September.
Individual workshops are available at £20 each full price or £10 concession. All six sessions can be booked for £90. Booking fees apply. As said above, if price is a hard barrier to you - please get in touch. rosa@acta-bristol.com
Aberdeen Performing Arts is seeking to commission a new play for Light the Blue 2027.
They are looking for an early-career writer aged 18 – 35 who is based in or has a meaningful connection to the North-East of Scotland to create a new piece of theatre for adult audiences.
Light the Blue is their festival for and by young people, with an annual programme featuring over 1000 young and professional artists, school pupils and early career creatives from across Scotland. Through their Emerging Artist strand, the festival supports early career individuals to develop their practice, test out ideas and create new work for wide-ranging audiences.
They are looking to commission a new play that is original, relevant and engaging for their audiences. There is no set theme, they are simply looking for the most exciting idea which will, with their support, become a high-quality professional production. The new production will open at the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen in June 2027 for a run of up to 1 week.
The writer will be offered a fee of £6,457.50 (SSP/FST Standard Play rate for a new play of up to 60 minutes) plus at least 4 days of rehearsal attendance at £140 per day and 10% royalties on box office takings.
Sheffield Theatres are looking for a Making Room Observer to join the company of Twelfth Night.
Making Room Observer opportunities are for aspiring and early-career theatre creatives based locally to Sheffield Theatres who want to familiarise with professional rehearsal practice.
Making Room Observers are invited to observe one day each week of rehearsal, and two days of technical rehearsals. Making Room Observers are also invited to attend a preview performance and opening night.
The Making Room Observer for Twelfth Night will receive a £350 fee to support their attendance and observation of the rehearsal process.
The Scratch Night will take place at Etcetera Theatre, Camden on 27th October, from 7 to 8pm. We'll be selecting five scripts to be performed on the night, and all selected writers will receive a £50 participation fee.
If you've got a spooky story or script you'd love to see performed on stage, we'd love to read it.
Find out more and submit on the link below!
Submissions close: 23rd August
Workshop for aspiring or emerging playwrights: How we adapted 80 Days for a 4-hander Actor-Muso Open-Air tour across the UK.
In this hour-long workshop, Award-Winning playwright Chris Fung will guide participants through the central processes that guided his crafting of Alfresco Actors' Open Air touring script for their production of AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS. Suitable for aspiring or emerging writers interested in adapting classics for the stage or for plays with song.
If you have any access requirements for attending the workshop then please email gabbie@gabriellasills.com.
When? Wednesday 12th August 2026, 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Where? Actors' Church, WC2E 9ED
The Biyi Bándélé Bursary is a new initiative established by the family of Biyi Bándélé in partnership with Brixton House and Curtis Brown to honor the legacy of acclaimed Nigerian writer and filmmaker Biyi Bándélé. In 2024, we celebrated his life with a special memorial event at Brixton House with stories of his incredible life and works to coincide with his final novel, Yorùbá Boy Running.
In the first year, this annual award will support three emerging writers of African diaspora heritage, aged 18 and over, who are living in the UK. The award is designed to foster new talent, encourage bold storytelling, and amplify voices within theatre, film and literature. The bursaries will be awarded at an event at Brixton House in October, with the programme beginning in Spring 2027.
We welcome applications from African diaspora writers of 18 years or older who have had at least one previous work published and/or publicly produced.
Objectives:
What the Award offers:
Eligibility criteria:
For the purposes of this programme, “African diaspora heritage” refers to individuals who self-identify as being of African descent and whose ancestry includes communities historically dispersed from the African continent through migration or other forms of global movement.
Applicants are not required to provide genealogical documentation. Self-identification is sufficient.
This bursary prioritises applicants who identify as being of African diaspora heritage, in alignment with the programme’s mission to support historically underrepresented writers.
Timeline:
The Dukes are looking for up to five theatre makers/creatives to join them as Associate Artists for a period of 18 months. Theatre makers, companies or individuals from an array of artistic discipline. This could include: writers, directors, designers, producers, companies and others that may benefit from this opportunity.
What is the Associate Artist Programme?
Within our Talent Development programme, The Dukes’ ambition is for our venue to be known in the North West as a welcome hub for artists to collaborate and stretch their creative muscles. The Dukes is committed to providing support to our selected Associate Artists, who are at varying stages of their career, with the hopes of establishing a creative, empowered and balanced partnership. We also wish to bring artists together, so they too can expand their working relationships.
The Associate Artist Programme provides support such as:
*please note, The Dukes does not offer commission to artists for this programme
The Dukes also offers advocacy within Venues North and other relevant networks and events.
Application Process:
To apply, please send an expression of interest explaining why you would like to be an Associate Artist (no more than one side of A4) as well as a summary (or CV) of your experience and past work. Please send this to the email below with the subject ‘FAO: Emma Nixon - Associate Artist Application’.
Things to consider for your application:
Deadline for applications: Monday 17th August 2026
For the shortlisted artists, we will be in touch and it's likely you'll be invited to an informal meeting to discuss your work and ideas.
Riverside Writers is a six-session development programme designed for emerging playwrights looking to develop a brand-new script with expert guidance from award-winning playwright and facilitator Nadine Gray.
We're looking for 12 new writers, particularly those from communities underrepresented in theatre.
You'll receive:
-Monthly workshops
-One-to-one mentoring
-A public showcase of your work
-Industry connections and ongoing support
Programme starts: September 2026
Dates:
Showcase dates:
Almeida For Free is an exciting festival for people aged 25 and under.
Running alongside their productions, the festival gives young people the chance to see the productions for free, and to also take part in workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses that cover everything from acting and writing, to theatre-making and design.
It is a celebration of young people’s creativity that takes over the whole theatre and aims to give an insight into the way shows are created at the Almeida.
