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 ($17,400), 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.
This 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 $17,400 (aligned with the Australian Writers’ Guild rates for 2025), 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 2025 Emerging Playwright Commission close on Monday 7 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 WE ARE 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 be suited for an ensemble cast rather than being 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 following:
- 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 2026, and a final performance draft by the end of July 2026. 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 7 July 2025 at 9:00am. Any submissions after this date may not be considered.
If you have any questions, phone 02 6248 5057.
Winners
2024
Sarah Matthews
Sarah Matthews is a Naarm-based writer and primary school teacher who prioritises joy in everything she creates. She is passionate about telling stories that centre the experiences of young people through a distinctly Australian lens. In 2024, Sarah completed her Master of Theatre (Writing) at the Victorian College of the Arts, where she wrote her first full-length play. She also attended ATYP’s National Studio residency, along with nineteen other emerging playwrights from across the country. Sarah was shortlisted for Canberra Youth Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Commission in 2023 and is thrilled to be a finalist in 2024. Sarah is enthusiastic about all things lovely and will not let her woeful eyesight prevent her from a career in theatre.
2023
Sonia Dodd
Sonia Dodd (she/her) is a Malaysian-Australian creative, originally from Newcastle. She holds a Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media) from Charles Sturt University and is currently finishing a Graduate Certificate in Psychological Science online. Sonia works as a freelance independent producer, actor and writer. She was awarded the Blair Milan Touring Prize for her play, Good Mourning, which debuted at Bathurst’s Sprung Festival in 2019 before a Sydney season at the Old 505 Theatre in 2020, and a 2023 season in her home town of Newcastle at the Civic Theatre with Tantrum Youth Arts. She was one of four NSW participants in Australian Theatre For Young People’s Fresh Ink playwriting program in 2022, with one of her works selected for Slanted Theatre’s new work showcase. In Sonia’s playwriting practice, she is passionate about “exploring form, authentic representation and having a case of the sillies.”
2022
Honor Webster-Mannison
Honor Webster-Mannison is an interdisciplinary performance-maker and playwright based in Naarm/Melbourne. Honor has recently completed their Masters of Theatre (Writing) from the Victorian College of the Arts. They are the co-founder of theatre collective Yours Sincerely whose credits include ‘Deep Breath In’ (Dead Puppets Society’s LAB); ‘This Fantastic Plastic Planet’ (Backbone Youth Arts); ‘Sometimes It’s Hot Like the Sun’ (Festival of Australian Student Theatre). Their publications include a short play titled ‘Bottlefeeders’ as part of Australian Theatre for Young People’s ‘Intersection’ and their co-written play ‘Sometimes it’s Hot like the Sun’ as part of the Playlab Indie Archives. Honor’s approach to performance-making explores new ways of combining text with visual and sensory experience. They enjoy creating work that is tenderly silly and invites a multiplicity of interpretations.
2021
Joanna Richards
| Joanna Richards is a performer, screenwriter, playwright, and the inaugural recipient of Canberra Youth Theatre’s Emerging Playwright Commission. She has participated in The Street Theatre’s Early Phase and WIFT’s Mentor Her programs, and a mentorship with Chips & Gravy Films. Joanna is the first PhD candidate to be accepted into Virginia Haussenger’s 50/50 by 2030 Foundation. Joanna trained at American Repertory Theatre at Harvard with Moscow Art Theatre Conservatory, performing in Three Sisters and Uncle Vanya. Stage credits in Canberra include Twenty Minutes With The Devil, Venus in Fur, Boys Will Be Boys, Widowbird (Street Theatre), Belfast Girls (Echo Theatre), Much Ado About Nothing (Lakespeare), and various musicals including Blood Brothers and Fame. Screen credits include Rake and Whirld. |
Our Emerging Playwright Commission is generously supported by Holding Redlich.
