Emerging Playwright Commission

Overview

Canberra Youth Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Commission offers an exciting opportunity for an emerging Australian playwright to be professionally commissioned to create a brand-new, full-length work that brings the stories and voices of young people to the stage.

Proudly supported by Holding Redlich, this initiative puts emerging playwrights at the heart of the creative process. It’s designed to help launch the careers of talented writers who are ready to take the next step — those who are underway on their playwriting journey, perhaps with a production or two under their belt, but haven’t yet been professionally produced by a major theatre company.

The winner will receive a full commission ($17,700), ongoing dramaturgical support, take part in a series of creative development workshops in Canberra with an ensemble of emerging artists and our artistic team, then see your script come to life in a staged reading of your work.

Proposals must be for new works that are at least 60 minutes in length and written to be performed by actors aged anywhere from 7 to 25.

We’re here to support your growth as a writer and artist. This opportunity is all about investing in your creative journey early on, helping you develop a bold, innovative, and challenging new play that speaks to and for young people — while also contributing to a vibrant canon of new Australian theatre made especially for youth.

The Emerging Playwright Commission is awarded through an open application process, assessed by a panel of young artists, and selected by our Artistic Director and team.

Finalists will be invited to a special event in Canberra in October, where the winner will be announced. The selected playwright will receive the full commissioning fee of $17,700 (aligned with the Australian Writers’ Guild rates), and two finalists will each receive $1,500 to support their writing practice.

Read the full application details below for more information.

Submissions for the 2026 Emerging Playwright Commission close on Monday 6 July at 9am.

Eligibility

Writers must be:

• an Australian citizen or permanent resident aged over 16 and under 35 at the time of applying
• an emerging artist who is in the early stages of their career and has created a modest body of work in the independent sector, but not professionally produced by a major theatre company

We strongly encourage applications from:

• ACT and surrounding regions based artists
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists
• Culturally and Linguistically Diverse artists
• Artists who identify as LGBTQIA+
• Artists with disability

What Canberra Youth Theatre Is Looking For

• Proposals for works that are driven by and exclusively involve young characters.
• Proposals for works suitable to be performed by actors aged between 7 and 25 years (you do not need to write for the entire age range).
• Cast size should be a minimum of 8 actors and suited for an ensemble cast. This doesn’t mean all roles need to be of equal size, just not a work driven by one central character.
• Plays that will be a minimum one hour long.
• Bold ideas that are challenging, intelligent, theatrically adventurous, and give young performers sophisticated, exciting roles to perform and extend their skills.
• Stories, ideas and characters that are relevant and authentic to the experiences and passions of young people.
• A play that challenges audiences expectations about what theatre created by young people is capable of.
• Submissions must not be for existing works, or works currently undergoing creative development with other groups or companies.

What To Submit

Applications must be submitted as a single PDF file, and include the below.

Your application material should be text only; please do not provide a pitch deck or vision board for your proposed work.

• Your full contact details (name, pronouns, email, phone number, address, date of birth, and age at time of submission).
• A synopsis for your proposed play (1 page max).
• Proposed cast size, age group and character breakdown (½ page max).
• A writer’s statement on the inspiration for the work, its urgency, and relevance for young people (½ page max).
• A statement on why this commission is important to you at this stage in your professional career development (½ page max).
• An indicative sample of the proposed work (no more than four pages).
• Examples of your existing written work (no more than five pages). Be sure to include material that is indicative of the style of writing you are proposing.
• We can only accept one application per person

We understand that developing a submission can be a daunting process, so we encourage you to get in touch, and we can help guide you through the process.

Other Information

• Shortlisted applicants will be required to participate in a Zoom/in-person interview to provide us with more information about your proposal in order for us to make a final decision.
• The winner will participate in at least two script development workshops in Canberra involving young people of the relevant age for the work. Travel and accomodation will be provided.
• The applicant must exclusively own and control all copyright and all other related rights to the submitted script. For applications seeking to adapt existing material, the applicant is responsible for securing adaptation rights from the copyright holder. Any fees associated with such rights are the sole responsibility of the applicant. A letter from the copyright holder confirming permission to adapt the original work must be submitted with the application.
• Applicants must be able to deliver a first draft by the end of April 2027, and a final performance draft by the end of July 2027. Other key deliverables will be outlined in the commission agreement.
• Canberra Youth Theatre shall have worldwide license for the work at the conclusion of the commissioning process for a period of two years.
• Canberra Youth Theatre is unable to confirm whether the successful commission will be programmed as part of our annual artistic season, as this will be dependent on funding, resources and other artistic considerations.

How To Apply

Please email your submission in one PDF document to info@canberrayouththeatre.com.au

Applications close Monday 6 July 2026 at 9:00am. Any submissions after this date may not be considered.

If you have any questions, phone 02 6248 5057.