South Asian Playwrights’ Programme

National Theatre Of Scotland; Glasgow; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading theatre organization in the United Kingdom is offering a paid opportunity for South Asian playwrights to develop a new play. Selected writers will receive £2,750 for a draft and professional feedback throughout the process. This program supports emerging writers facing barriers in the industry and provides valuable dramaturgical guidance and workshop experiences. Ideal candidates are based in Scotland, have written at least one play, and are of South Asian heritage.

Benefits

Dramaturgical support

Professional workshops

Networking opportunities

Qualifications

• 18 years or older.
• Not currently enrolled in full-time education.
• Based in Scotland.
• Not had more than one fully funded professional production.
• Have experience writing at least one full-length stage play.

Responsibilities

• Receive a fee to write a draft of a new play.
• Work with dramaturgs and actors for development.
• Participate in workshops and provide feedback.

Skills

Writing skills

Ability to identify as South Asian or of mixed/South Asian Heritage

Understanding of dramaturgical processes

Job description

The South Asian Playwrights’ Programme: Overview

The South Asian Playwrights’ Programme forms part of a long-term commitment from the National Theatre of Scotland to develop South Asian theatre artists and platform their work. The programme provides two paid opportunities for Scottish South Asian playwrights. Each writer will develop a new play with support from professional dramaturgs, actors and directors, ahead of the play being licenced and further developed and produced by Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre in a future season of A Play A Pie and A Pint (PPP). This programme recognises that South Asian writers face specific barriers to developing their craft and accessing a ladder of progression to professional production opportunities, barriers which are rooted in a history of marginalisation and systemic underinvestment in artists of South Asian heritage by predominantly white-led organisations. It has been designed for writers who have already written at least one full length stage play (50mins+), but not yet received more than one professional funded production of their work (or had a production at PPP), and would benefit from professional artistic and dramaturgical support in their development as a writer. South Asian Playwrights’ Programme is a collaboration between the National Theatre of Scotland, Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre, Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland and Bijli Productions.

Please Note: This opportunity exists in addition to the Playwrights’ Studio reading programme for PPP.

The Offer

Each selected writer will receive a fee of £2,750 towards the writing of a first draft of a new 50 min play, for a maximum of 3 performers. This fee is in addition to the license fee which will be paid by Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre on production.

The play is to be written across 2/3 development stages with the following support:

• Dramaturgy from the partners, and a trainee dramaturg from the South Asian artist community. This dramaturgical support will include verbal and written feedback on each draft to support your decisions around structure, characters, narrative arc etc.
• A paid day-long workshop on a development draft of your new play with a professional cast and director.
• An additional paid day of development on your full first draft, culminating in a rehearsed reading in front of a small, private, non-paying audience, to provide you with additional professional and audience feedback.

*Directors and performers for development stages will all be Scotland-based and selected in line with the characters, themes and skills required for each play.

Applicants must:

• be 18 years+
• not currently be in full time education
• be based in Scotland
• identify as South Asian or of mixed/South Asian Heritage
• have not had a play produced at A Play, A Pie and A Pint and have not had more than one fully funded professional production

Please note that this opportunity is aimed at individual writers, rather than those writing collaboratively.

By professional production we mean productions where the full cast and creative team and crew were paid at least union minimum rates.

How To Apply

This opportunity will be selected through an open call.

You will need to submit:

• a complete full-length play (50mins+ when read out loud) as an example of your work. You can submit an existing play, already considered for A Play, A Pie and A Pint through the PSS reading service or via the David MacLennan Award open call, as this example of your work.
• a short pitch (no more than 2 pages) for a new play you would like to write for A Play, A Pint and A Pint under this programme. For the avoidance of doubt, your idea must be different from the play you submit as an example of your writing.
• A brief biography outlining your writing and theatre experience to date.

Please Note: Writers do not have to write about South Asian themes, experiences or specifically for Scottish South Asian audiences.

Application Deadline | Mon 16 March

Outcomes communicated in early April 2026.

How Will the Selection Be Made?

Writers will be selected by representatives of each partner organisation. Writers will be selected on the strength of their idea for a new play and their existing writing skills.

Rights

If selected, you will receive a contract from the partners for the development stages. IP in the play will rest with you, but Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre have the exclusive right to then licence the play for production at PPP.

You will then receive a licence agreement and fee from Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre to further develop and present the production, in line with their standard terms and conditions.

What Will This Opportunity Give You?

The programme has been designed to offer the selected writers the following benefits:

• Strong working relationships with four major new writing organisations: Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland, Glasgow Lunchtime Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland and Bijli, opening the door for future potential opportunities/collaboration.
• Connections through these organisations with wider professional networks and artist opportunities.
• Profile across all organisations’ comms, allowing you to develop your profile and attract additional opportunities.
• Experienced dramaturgical support to help you develop your craft, experience and better understand processes of receiving and implementing feedback noting processes and be close to the programme decisions that inform the development and realisation of new works.
• The opportunity to work with professional directors and actors to help you develop your script and build new relationships to support future collaborations.
• Opportunity for you to gain feedback from an audience as your play develops, to support its ongoing development.
• Support to develop a strong first draft of a play.
• A professional production of your play at Oran Mor.
• The opportunity to form a cohort with a fellow writer going through the same process and with other writers currently associated with the organisations.

The South Asian Playwrights’ Programme is part of The South Asian Project, established by National Theatre of Scotland in 2021 to enable the company to engage more significantly with South Asian artists and communities in Scotland, with an overall aim, over time, to develop new ideas for productions, forge new connections within communities and to reach new audiences.