WRITE FROM THE HIP

Call for Submissions: 2027 Write from the Hip Program

Nightwood Theatre is now accepting submissions to the 2027 Write from the Hip (WFTH) program.

About the Program

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 at the start of the program, and $1,000 at the completion of their draft and participation at the Groundswell Festival.

This season we are experimenting with creation parameters and will only accept plays that touch on the following themes/forms. We are accepting applications for plays that explore the following themes:

• economic inequality, class, and issues of precarity
• genocide and displacement
• history (at the societal level; re-writing the past)
• peacemaking/uncomfortable conversations 
• power and resistance / civil disobedience
  
  

We’re also interested in scale at both extremes — solo shows or plays with large casts.

Schedule:

Group meetings will take place within the following windows (i.e. 1 day per window, exact dates and times to be determined with the cohort):

• January 11-15, 2027: Initial welcome meeting (tbd)
• April 5-11, 2027: Group meeting (tbd)
• June 14-20, 2027: Group meeting (tbd)
• September 6-12, 2027: Group meeting (tbd)
• Fall 2027: Groundswell Festival 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.

Please note: From participant feedback in recent years, we have decided to localize Write from the Hip. 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, primarily at our new home at the Nancy & Ed Jackman Performance Centre (877 Yonge Street, Toronto). 

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 2026. 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 25th, 2026 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:

• The completion of the online Google Form.

• Choose Option 1 or 2:

• 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;

– A maximum 9 page excerpt from the play you intend to work on.

– 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 in length that includes: 

– 1 minute of video 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;

– 9 minutes max of video of you reading an excerpt from the play you intend to work on. 

– 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.

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: 

October 25th, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET