London's Hampstead Theatre has announced that multi-award-winning writer Mike Bartlett will head up a new programme on playwriting, Writing the Bigger Picture.
The eight-week, online programme will have up to ten paid participants from across the UK; each will receive £1,000 and have one-to-one mentoring with Bartlett who will also run a series of workshops to develop participants' writing for larger scale productions.
Applicants must have had at least one play produced; the deadline is 18 February with full details online.
Alongside this news, the venue also announced a new youth project free to local young residents whilst Inspire, its emerging playwrights group led by Roy Williams (whose credits include Death of England: Delroy and Death of England), will see the rehearsed readings of nine full-length plays penned by its participants.
Roxana Silbert, Hampstead's artistic director and joint chief executive, said, "now more than ever we need to support our communities and our industry to sustain ourselves against the devastating impact of this pandemic.
"I am delighted to announce today two new initiatives at Hampstead that I hope will provide a collective space for some joy and creativity this spring as well as offering a framework for experience and further opportunity.
"We are so pleased to have Mike Bartlett join us to lead this unique new writing programme, which aims to support talented writers whose experience has been limited to studio spaces to explore ways of approaching writing new plays for large stages.
"Likewise, we are so pleased to launch our new youth project within our local community. Whilst a lot of the world has been driven indoors and online out of necessity, it feels more important than ever to connect with our neighbours and especially a generation isolated during such formative years. IGNITE will offer a creative space for expression and experimentation and forge voices of the future."