purple swirling paint background with the Write From The Hip title

ABOUT WRITE FROM THE HIP

Nightwood’s celebrated Write from the Hip program is a year-long script development program designed to support self-identifying emerging playwrights through mentorship, participation in a playwright’s unit, and one-on-one dramaturgy. Participants work towards the completion of a full-length play that culminates in a public reading with professional actors and a director as part of our Groundswell Festival. 

This program is open to women and gender-expansive people. This includes cis and trans women, trans men, as well as non-binary, 2-Spirit, genderfluid, and gender non-conforming folks. We accept applications from early career theatre artists and/or arts workers who are aged 18+. The program runs from January to November and will be held in-person in Toronto. 

Please see below for FAQs and information on our next round of applications.

Meet the 2026 Write from the Hip Program Playwrights

photo of a white person in 20s. they have short blonde hair and a wearing a red sweater and jeans.

Alison Adams

photo of a Caribbean woman in her 20s. she has curly dark hair and is wearing a sheer maroon top.

Rais Clarke-Mendes

photo of a white person in their 20s. They have curly brown hair and are wearing a black turtle neck and gray blazer.

Sal Currie

photo of a black person in their 20s. they are wearing a maroon floral shirt and have short curly hair.

Nicci Pryce

Vanessa Spence

Read more about their pieces here!

And the 2026 Write from the Hip team

Intisar Awisse

Program Director

Mya Wong

Program Associate

Program Support Provided By The RBC Foundation

All applicants must:

      • Identify as a woman or gender-expansive person, per Nightwood’s mandate. This includes cis and trans women, trans men, as well as non-binary, 2-Spirit, genderfluid, and gender non-conforming folks
      • Be over the age of 18
      • Be eligible to work in Canada
      • Self-identify as early in their playwriting career (ie, have not had a professional production of your work)

 

If you fall outside of the eligibility or are unsure that you meet the requirements, please reach out to us! If the Shadow Residencies are not a fit, we’re happy to recommend other, more suited programs. 

We’re looking for playwrights and creators who are 18+ and self-identify as being in their early career. The program is best suited for folks who are in the first few years of their professional practice or are looking to expand into playwriting from another creative writing medium. Post-secondary training is not required.

Write From The Hip has developed many styles of pieces through its history. Please note, this is explicitly a play development program and other forms of creative writing, such as poetry or screenplays, might find more suitable feedback elsewhere. While we have the ability to nurture many styles of plays, we have found that the most successful supported pieces tend to be more text-based.

Write from the Hip runs from January until the Groundswell Festival in the fall of the same year. 

Over the course of the program, participants will have at least 4 group meetings every 2-3 months. Interstitial one-on-one meetings between playwrights and the Write From The Hip program director take place virtually on an as-needed basis. The program will finish after the annual Groundswell Festival.

We believe that you will get the most out of this program if you are not currently a full-time student and we’d encourage you to apply once you’ve completed your program.

All of the shadow placements take place in-person in Toronto. We encourage folks in the GTA able to regularly travel to Toronto to apply and will continue to provide other opportunities to connect with other artists across Canada.

Applications are viewed by a small team of Nightwood Staff and mentors, with consultation from select members of the outgoing Innovators cohort. 

We consider a number of factors, including:
Who will get the most out of this program?
Who would not get this kind of opportunity elsewhere?
Who demonstrates values that align with Nightwood’s?

We hear you! We recognize the strengths of the previous Innovators program in fostering connections and exploring diverse workshop topics. Building on this success, we’re expanding our workshop offerings to be open to the broader community. Additionally, we’re continually seeking new ways to engage the public throughout our season.

For individuals interested in a more structured program, we’re happy to recommend other suitable options offered by other amazing Toronto organizations.

Write from the Hip applications will reopen in Fall 2026 for the 2027 cohort.

You can reach Jade via email at jade@nightwoodtheatre.net.