Colourful smokey background with white text "WRITE FROM THE HIP"

Call for Submissions:
2026 Write From The Hip Program

Click here to APPLY NOW!

Write From The Hip 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 annual Groundswell Festival in the fall. We are looking for intersectional feminist content by women, trans men, as well as Two-Spirit, non-binary, and gender expansive playwrights who are emerging in craft – there is no age limit to apply. Participants will receive a $2,000 CAD honorarium – $1,000 for starting the program, and $1,000 for the completion of their draft and participation at the Groundswell Festival.

Please note: From participant feedback in recent years, we have decided to localize Write From The Hip this year. We will be accepting applications from artists based in the Greater Toronto Area and/or those who are able to attend group meetings in-person, mostly at our new home at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre (877 Yonge Street). 

Schedule:
Group meetings will take place within the following windows (exact dates and times to be determined with the cohort):

        • January 25-31, 2026: Initial welcome meeting (tbd)
        • April 5-11, 2026: Group meeting (tbd)
        • June 14-20, 2026: Group meeting (tbd)
        • September 6-12, 2026: Group meeting (tbd)
        • Fall 2026:  Groundswell at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre

Interstitial one-on-one meetings between playwrights and the Write From The Hip program director take place virtually on an as needed basis.

About the WFTH Submission/Interview Process

In addition to our script submission process detailed below, we will hold a round of interviews with select applicants in early December 2025. This interview phase is an opportunity for artists to introduce themselves and their proposed script in whatever way best represents them.

If you are offered an interview, it is a conversation to discover if there’s a match between what the WFTH program can offer you as a writer, what your play needs in terms of development, as well as who you are as an artist and why you want to be a part of the WFTH program. Applicants who have applied (but not participated) in prior years are welcome to apply with a new project.

How to Apply

Completed submissions must be received via electronic copy, no later than Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET. There is no submission fee for this program.

In order to be considered for an interview, your package must include:

1.   A 10-page maximum PDF that includes: A one-page letter outlining your background as an emerging artist, how you feel you/your project would benefit from WFTH, what your dramaturgical needs are, and a brief synopsis of your play, PLUS an excerpt from the play you intend to work on (total max 9 pages). Your application must be submitted as a single PDF document, saved in the following title format: “Last Name_Title of Play”. Please submit your PDF application to: submissions@nightwoodtheatre.net
      OR
2.  A video application – maximum 10 minutes: Your video application should outline your background as an emerging artist, how you feel you/your project would benefit from WFTH, what your dramaturgical needs are, and a brief synopsis of your play, PLUS a written excerpt from the play you intend to work on (total max 9 pages). Please rename your video submission file and written excerpt file to read “Last Name_Title of Play” and send the file via Swiss Transfer to submissions@nightwoodtheatre.net.

Frequently Asked Questions

All applicants must:

    • Identify as a woman and 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 nonconforming folks
    • Be over the age of 18
    • Not currently attending a full-time training program
    • 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, feel free to reach out and we can offer other suitable avenues to connect with Nightwood and the theatre community at large.

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.

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.

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.

Based on feedback from previous years, this year’s program is Toronto-based. We encourage anyone who can be in Toronto for 4-5 meetings a year and the Groundswell Festival to apply. There will continue to be other opportunities for artists across Canada to connect with Nightwood. Stay tuned!

Applications are viewed by a small team of Nightwood Staff, the WFTH Program Director, and WFTH Program Associate. We consider a number of factors, including:

        • Who we feel 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 Bold, feminist propositions.
        • How well the Program Director might support each participant’s goals.
        • Cohort composition/creating a dynamic group (this includes composing a synergistic group with divergent identities with a spectrum of life/professional experiences, variety in content and form, a range of stages of progress with the submitted plays (ie: brand new works in process to full plays being reworked)
        • Our chemistry with the applicant.
        • A love for your play.

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

Nightwood is committed to creating spaces that are trans-inclusive and that prioritize a multitude of intersectional identities, which include race, ability, sexual orientation, age, and gender identity among others.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
Wednesday, October 29th, 2025 11:59 PM ET

Click here to APPLY NOW!

Program Support Provided By The RBC Foundation