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.
Forge Playwrights a new project that will nurture emerging Black, Asian and ethnically diverse writers in our region.
The group will be led by Aisha Khan, with co-mentoring from John Rwothomack and Frey Kwa Hawking.
The writers will meet monthly at Sheffield Theatres from September 2026 to April 2027 for workshops and writing sessions, followed by a period of writing and one-to-one support that will lead to an opportunity to have their work shared as part of the Open works Festival in Autumn 2027.
This ambitious year of activity will support six emerging Black, Asian and ethnically diverse writers to develop new skills, ideas, and relationships as they write a full-length play.
Aisha Khan is a writer for theatre, radio and screen, director and dramaturg. Aisha recently adapted A Christmas Carol for Sheffield Theatres. Her writing credits include No Man’s Land, (Theatre An Der Parkau, Berlin/Leeds Playhouse) and Moonshed (dir, Sarah Frankcom, Royal Exchange Theatre). Aisha has also written for BBC Radio 4.
Directing credits include The Abyss by Ghiath Al-Mhitawi (Royal Court/Edinburgh International Festival) and Spirits by Gemma Bedeau.
John Rwothomack is a Ugandan-born, London-trained actor, director, writer, and recipient of the Peggy Ramsay Award whose work includes commissions from Sheffield Theatres and English Touring Theatre. In 2021, John founded Roots Mbili Theatre, where he serves as artistic director.
Frey Kwa Hawking is a transsexual critic, dramaturg, and arts worker. He is Associate Dramaturg at the Bush Theatre, a Dramaturgs' Network board member, was Co-Mentor for Sheffield Theatres' New Dramaturgs and Theatremakers Groups, and works with a number of theatres, companies and competitions.
Flexible booking system
Pre-book! it's not a drop-in
Book at any time - you don't have to start on the first session
At the O2 Centre in Finchley Rd, NW3
Pay What You Can on a sliding scale from £10 to £30 per workshop.
contact@furtherthantheedge.com 07494168206
Funding Opportunity: Up to £60,000 for Outdoor Arts Projects
Without Walls UK has opened applications for its 2027 Creation and Touring Programme, supporting ambitious new outdoor arts projects by UK-based artists and companies.
Open to both emerging and established artists, including those new to outdoor arts, the programme is looking for innovative, tour-ready work across circus, dance, theatre, puppetry, installation and cross-disciplinary performance.
Selected projects can receive up to £60,000 in creation funding, alongside bespoke producer support, accessibility and sustainability training, and guaranteed touring opportunities across major UK festivals from May 2027.
The programme is especially interested in work that explores the climate emergency, family-focused or participatory experiences, creative accessibility, diverse-led practice, and new digital technologies.
A strong opportunity for artists ready to create bold public-facing work for outdoor spaces.
Calling all theatre-makers, writers and creatives!
Have an idea for a new theatre project? Riverside Studios’ R&D Autumn Season Callout is now open.
We’re offering selected artists a week of free rehearsal space to research, develop and test new work, with a sharing at the end of the week.
Successful applicants will also receive basic technical and marketing support, a dedicated dressing room, and 10% off food and drink at Riverside.
We’re particularly keen to hear from creatives who are currently underrepresented in theatre, with at least 50% of places allocated to Global Majority, LGBTQ+, working-class and disabled artists.
In Good Company, in partnership with Middle Child, is offering a £7,286 paid commission for a Midlands-based playwright to develop a new studio-scale play for production and future touring.
The selected writer will create a new scripted play of up to 70 minutes with a cast of up to four. The commission includes dramaturgical and writing mentorship from Middle Child, alongside development support from In Good Company.
The finished work will be produced by Middle Child and premiered in Hull and Derby in spring 2028, with additional touring supported across a network of Midlands partner venues.
This is a commission with full creative freedom, within the above parameters.
The opportunity is open to writers aged 18+ who are based in or have a strong connection to the Midlands, and who have at least one professionally presented theatre work.
Applications are particularly encouraged from writers who are D/deaf, disabled, from racially marginalised backgrounds, working class, LGBTQ+, or other underrepresented groups in the theatre industry.
Work In Theatre is an opportunity to explore, hear more about and take part in workshops about the hidden areas of theatre that people often do not know exist.
Through a variety of workshops, guest talks and practical opportunities, the group will explore areas of theatre which may include:
From Page to Stage – Directing
Audience & Outreach – Marketing
Running the Show – Stage Management
Technical Stagecraft
Character through Dress
Production Design Workshop and more!
Attendees will also see Wicked the Musical during the week on Wednesday 12th August 2026 at 2:30pm.
Bursary spaces available for those who may find price a barrier to accessing this workshop. Please email kitmiles@atgentertainment.com for more info on bursary and discounted spaces. For any further questions please email WestEndINSPIRE@atgentertainment.com
Delivered by SCRUM Theatre at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Fresh Ink offers young people the chance to explore storytelling, build confidence, develop their communication skills, and express themselves creatively in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Over two weeks, 20 young people will work alongside professional playwrights and screenwriters, taking part in workshops and collaborative projects designed to help them develop their ideas and find their voice.
The programme will culminate in a showcase of original work celebrating the participants achievements.
Fresh Ink is committed to removing barriers to participation.
Introductory Session
18 July 2026
Summer Young Writers' Lab
17–29 August 2026
10:30am–4:00pm daily
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the organisation that underpins the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Its core aims are to support participants, assist Fringe audiences and celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world.
As an open membership organisation, we're always looking for new and diverse voices to join the conversation and help shape the future of the Society.
Membership costs £5 a year to cover administration costs and members are responsible for electing the Board of Directors, adopting the accounts and appointing the auditors each year. By choosing to become a member of the Fringe Society, you play a significant role in one of the world’s most incredible arts festivals.
Membership to the Fringe Society is annual and runs for 12 months from the point at which you join. Before your membership expires we will remind you to renew your membership so you can continue to make a contribution to the Society.
The founding principle at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – to be an open-access arts event that welcomes anyone with a story to tell and a venue to host them – still guides the work of the Society today.
It’s our policy that no single individual or committee determines who can or cannot perform on the Fringe.
The Society was formed in 1958, in recognition of the fact that more and more performers were coming to Edinburgh despite not being included in the Edinburgh International Festival programme. Its earliest tasks included providing information to artists, publishing the Fringe Programme and creating a central box office. In 1969 the Society was incorporated as a limited company and its constitution published.
Unlike many other festivals, our constitution celebrates the fact that the Society does not vet the Fringe Programme. That means we have no artistic director and that the programme is shaped by the initiative and vision of performers willing to showcase their work here.
