All the details about our job opportunities are listed below.

Resident Associate Artist (Playwright)
February 2026 – December 2026
Fee: £1,500

Ransack Theatre is excited to invite applications for a Resident Associate Artist (Playwright) to join us for a dynamic creative residency running from February to December 2026.

This opportunity is ideal for an early-career playwright looking to develop their craft, collaborate with a producing theatre company, and draft their play with dramaturgical support and rehearsal room experience.

What’s Included:

• A £1,500 bursary to support your time and engagement.

• Five creative practice or dramaturgy sessions with the Ransack team or external collaborators, tailored to your needs and process.

• An invitation to join Ransack in the rehearsal room for our next production – observe, contribute, and immerse yourself in our working methods.

• An invitation to join Ransack in key leadership meetings to observe the workings of a small theatre company.

• Ongoing artistic dialogue and peer support throughout the residency.

• A final script to be delivered in December 2026, with a reading organised by Ransack and the potential for future development or production opportunities in 2027.
  

Person Specification:

We’re looking for someone passionate about bold, engaging storytelling who’s eager to collaborate and experiment. Whether you’re looking to explore a new idea, reshape a draft, or write something completely fresh, we want to hear from you.

To be eligible for this opportunity, you must be: 

• Be based in the UK

• Have no more than 2 professional writing credits (a professional credit is defined as any production that has been staged for 4 days minimum in a single venue, excluding at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and is in receipt of reviews) 

• Be no more than 8 years post-graduation from a higher educational course that was related to your creative practise (please note: you do not need have gone to university or higher education to apply to this opportunity, if you have not then you can ignore this criteria)

We’re particularly interested in encouraging applications from writers who are historically underrepresented in the sector, including global majority, LGBTQIA+ & Disabled artists.

Application Process

Applications close: 9am on Monday 16th February 2026 

To apply, please fill out the application form below.

If you would rather, you can submit a video application (no more than 5 minutes in length) via the form as well. Don’t worry about having a professional standard video; a selfie video on your phone will suffice. We’re more interested in how you’re communicating your ideas and responding to the application questions.

Alongside your application, please fill in this equal opportunities form.

Once the application window closes, we will set up interviews with shortlisted candidates, likely to take place in w/c 23rd February.

If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please contact Ali Michael on ransacktheatre@gmail.com

FAQs:

Do I need to be available for the entire February–December 2026 period?

We expect the successful applicant to be engaged with the residency across the full timeframe, but the commitment is flexible and designed to fit around other commitments and other work. Activity will be spaced throughout the year rather than being full-time or continuous, but the rehearsal observations will take place in June.

Can I apply with an idea that isn’t fully formed yet?

Yes. We welcome applications at different stages of development, from early ideas to existing drafts. What matters most is your interest in exploring the idea through the residency.

Can the play I am submitting be co-written or part of a collaborative project? 

This residency is intended for a single playwright. However, collaboration within the development process is encouraged and can be discussed if relevant to your practice.

Do you have to have been to higher education to apply?

No. We invite invitations from people who have not been in higher education or university as well as those that have been.

When are you considering the cut off point for 8 years post-graduation?

Anyone who graduated from a course that is directly related to their writing practice before summer 2017 will not be considered.

What do we mean by “a higher educational course that was related to your creative practice”?

By this we mean, any full-time university or university-accredited course that’s main focus was creative writing, playwriting, or contemporary playmaking / theatre-making. This could be undergraduate or postgraduate.

For the residency outcome, what do you mean by 'final script' - is this a completed first draft, or a production-ready play text?

The nature of the “final script” is contextual, not one-size-fits-all. We have imagined that some writers will apply with completed first drafts of an idea, and some will apply with fresh ideas that haven't yet been written. So the "final script" definition depends on the situation of the successful applicant, and it's probably more accurate to consider this as a “Residency Outcome Script”. If it's a completely new idea, then we'd support the writer to get to the completed first draft stage. If a first draft already exists at the time of application, then our ambition would be to support the writer to develop the script to production ready-stage.

Would you be able to give me a bit of information about the "potential for future development or production opportunities in 2027"? 

This is also contextual and depends on the stage of development at the point of application. We imagine that we would include some form of contractual dynamic that either grants Ransack an exclusive option for further development in a limited time period or grants an exclusive, time-limited option to produce.

Can I apply if I’ve previously worked with Ransack Theatre?

Yes, as long as you meet the eligibility criteria outlined above.

Will feedback be provided to unsuccessful applicants?

Due to capacity, we may not be able to offer individual feedback to all applicants. However, all applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application, and those invited to interview will be offered feedback.

Who will be assessing applications?

Applications will be reviewed by members of the Ransack Theatre artistic and producing team, with attention paid to artistic potential, alignment with the residency aims, and eligibility criteria.