About

Deadline for applications: 5pm, Monday 25th November 2024.  

Every year, Playwrights' Studio, Scotland supports projects generated and led by playwrights themselves. This support is self-designed and delivered, so is most suitable for playwrights who have had experience of professional practise i.e. mid-career or experienced playwrights. We normally consider this to be artists who have had at least two professional productions paid at industry rates (though there are some exceptions - please check here if you would not otherwise be eligible). Other opportunities are available for playwrights who have less experience and would benefit from more structured support.  

We typically fund projects that:  

• advance a playwright’s professional development  

• support the development of a piece of live performance  

• create a new opportunity for collaboration (across artform, international boundaries or geographical distances)  

• further an artist's practice in a way that would be hard for them to otherwise resource  

What can you apply for

You can apply for projects with costing up to £4,000. A total budget of £8,000 is available for this round of Self-Led Projects. 

You can apply for a wide variety of projects tailored to your specific needs as a playwright. Past projects have included learning a new skill, traveling or touring as part of research for a new play, spending time with a professional in another field, working with a dramaturg, or collaborating with a director and actors. We encourage diverse approaches, whether your project focuses on developing your craft, creating live performance, or exploring new creative directions. 

Playwrights and all collaborators will be paid £175 per day for their work. For UK travel, our per diem rate is £32.51 per day. Be sure to include venue hire in your budget, as spaces may not always be available in-kind. For dramaturg sessions, budget £175 for a standard 2-hour session, including preparation time.

All projects will receive organisational support from Playwrights’ Studio. This includes project management, contracting collaborators, budget management, scheduling, booking of spaces, travel arrangement, booking of course, facilitating introductions and advice. 

If you need assistance with your budget or have any questions before applying, please contact Amy McKenzie at amy@playwrightsstudio.co.uk. 

Playwrights' Studio, Scotland does not commission or produce work; as a result, we cannot offer funds to substitute commissioning or production fees, nor for artists to self-commission or top up commission payments from a theatre. Therefore we are not able to support in part, or sum, the following:  

• Commission fees for a new play (though you can apply to pay yourself for research or thinking time as part of an application)  

• The costs of producing a play  

• Plays that have already been produced or received significant script development elsewhere  

In practice this means that if you are applying solely for money to pay yourself to begin to write a play, you may find our Play Development Bursaries a better fit.

Key dates

You will be able to set specific dates for your project and the rate at which your work progresses. We ask that writers apply only if they anticipate being able to complete the projects within one calendar year.  

Self-Led Project writers will be invited to the Playwright Introduction Day, taking place on Friday 31st January 2025 (though attendance is not mandatory for this support). Case Study Sessions happen around once a month from February to September. 

Upon completion of the Self-led Project, you will be asked to write a short report.  This could be written (no more than an A4 page) or a short video extract.  This may be shared with our funders or used as part of future promotion. 

What happens next?

Our Frequently Asked Questions page may help with your query. If your question is not answered by this page, please email info@playwrightsstudio.co.uk and we will be happy to help.