Newcastle’s Live Theatre and Northumbria University are looking to appoint a Writer in Residence for a year from September 2016.
The successful candidate will have substantial experience of writing for theatre and performance; a strong current knowledge of modern and contemporary theatre practices, plays and playwrights and a track record of professional production. There will be a fee of £20,000, as well as access to space, resources and equipment, cultural and research networks, and support from academic, creative and professional staff from both Live Theatre and the University.
Although the residency will be tailored to the skills and interests of the successful applicant, it is anticipated that the writer will research and develop an idea for play for Live Theatre, in line with the theatre’s mission and identity, which may lead to commission with the Theatre beyond the residency.
The Writer in Residence will also engage with Literary Department at Live Theatre, contribute to the teaching of Northumbria Performing Arts (NPA) undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and to the collaborative research culture of the University.
This is second of year of the three-year collaborative residency programme and the first Writer in Residence is Paddy Campbell, who wrote Live Theatre successes Wet House and Day of the Flymo and is himself a Northumbria University graduate. He is spending the year developing new work and collaborating with students and staff at Northumbria University to enhance research and teaching.
“I feel greatly privileged to have been given this opportunity,” he said. “Live Theatre has supported my writing from the very start and I'm thrilled to have the chance to develop new plays for the company during my residency.”
He moved to Newcastle fifteen years ago to study at Northumbria University and had such a good time he decided to stay.
The deadline for applications for Writer in Residence is Monday 22 February 2016. For more information and how to apply, go to the Live Theatre web site or Northumbria University web site.