Here are the Theatre Pathways opportunities for this week…
RTYDS have announced their next round of Networking Bursaries for ten working class directors and theatre makers who live and work in Culture Priority Places in the North West and the East of England.
PAGE2STAGE have open callouts for Actors and Directors for the next round of rehearsed readings in January 2027 at the Traverse in Edinburgh.
Graeae have announced the next phase of their Bespoke Artists Development Programme: Beyond Me, for 5 Deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent artists writing their first autobiographical play.
Capital Theatres in Edinburgh have announced the return of their First Steps residencies for early-career theatre-makers based in Scotland.
Tramshed in SouthEast London are looking for artists, theatre-makers and facilitators to widen the pool of facilitators for Youth Theatre and participation programmes.
Birmingham Hippodrome is also looking to expand their pool of freelance facilitators and practitioners, with a particular focus on drama, musical theatre and acting, to deliver sessions with children and young people.
Boundless Theatre and Zoo Co have announced that YoCo is back for 2027 with another Young Company, a free, inclusive theatre-making programme 16-21 year olds.
Sheffield Theatres have announced another round of General Workshop Auditions for Local Actors (with more still to come).
Fight and Intimacy Directors RC Annie have announced a new online workshop to De-Role and Develop Resilience in the Creative Industry on 27 November 2026, 11am to 1pm.
The National Theatre Skills Centre has announced Masterclass: The Big Pitch-er, offering free pitching advice for emerging theatre-makers (23—30-year-olds) on 20th November 2026.
Hidden Door are calling out for submissions, inviting artists, performers and makers to reimagine existing or develop new work for their 2027 festival.
Photo credit: Tom Woollard, Class Assembly Bradford
RTYDS have announced their next round of Networking Bursaries for ten working class directors and theatre makers who live and work in Culture Priority Places in the North West and the East of England.
Networking Bursaries are designed to support reducing social and cultural capital barriers for mid-career directors and theatre makers who are working class or from a low socio-economic background.
Some people simply ‘know the right people’ either through family, school or university and have social connections with people working in the arts giving them an advantage in gaining opportunities and employment.
There are ten Networking Bursaries of £800 available for:
Five directors and theatre makers who live and work in the DCMS Culture Priority Places in the East of England (Basildon, Fenland, Great Yarmouth, King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, Luton, Peterborough or Tendring).
Five directors and theatre makers who live and work in the DCMS Culture Priority Places in the North West (Barrow in Furness, Blackburn and Darwen, Blackpool, Burnley, Copeland, Hyndburn, Knowsley, Pendle, Rochdale, Rossendale, Salford, St. Helens, Tameside, Wigan).
These bursaries are for directors and theatre makers who are working class or from low socio-economic backgrounds to grow their networks.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
PAGE2STAGE have open callouts for Actors and Directors for the next round of rehearsed readings in January 2027 at the Traverse in Edinburgh.
P2S showcases extracts from 4 brand new plays, performed as rehearsed readings in front of a live audience and an industry panel providing dramaturgical feedback on the night, to support grassroots theatre providing an open-access route to connect and collaborate.
The audience, participants and panel are then invited to join in the cafe bar to continue the conversation and make connections.
The team also provide mentorship for new Directors to navigate the format and a feedback session after the event to discuss the event, your next steps or anything else you might want support with.
Deadline: 13 November 2026
Graeae have announced the next phase of their Bespoke Artists Development Programme: Beyond Me, for 5 Deaf, Disabled or neurodivergent artists writing their first autobiographical play.
This is a short programme starting from January to April 2027. for people who need support in taking their work onto its next stage of development.
Each artist will receive a small payment of £500, a programme of 5 online sessions, time with a mentor or dramaturg and access to a Wellbeing Practitioner.
Artists can be writers, performers or theatre practitioners based in England. Priority will be given to artists experiencing significant barriers to the industry.
Deadline: 30 November 2026
Photo credit: Courtesy of Tramshed
Capital Theatres in Edinburgh have announced the return of their First Steps residencies for early-career theatre-makers based in Scotland.
Created especially for early career theatre makers, these micro residencies are for artists at the beginning of their professional practice.
Each R&D slot offers 3 days of rehearsal space and £1000 of seed funding to explore, test and develop bold new work. Unlike our other artist residencies, First Steps comes with dedicated 1:1 mentorship to help you set goals, make connections and use the time and resource in a way that helps you get the best out of the opportunity. It’s a fully supported way to develop your skills as a theatre maker and bring your ideas to life.
Dates on offer:
Residency 1
Mon 18 – Wed 20 January 2027
Residency 2
Thu 21 – Sat 23 January 2027
Photo credit: Courtesy of TramShed
Tramshed in SouthEast London are looking for artists, theatre-makers and facilitators to widen the pool of facilitators for Youth Theatre and participation programmes.
If you're passionate about nurturing creativity, confidence and self-expression, the team would love to hear from creative people with a range of experiences, perspectives and creative approaches, who are committed to creating welcoming, inclusive spaces for children and young people.
Email your CV and a little about yourself to Brigitte at brigitte@tramshed.org with 'Facilitator Call Out' in the subject line.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Birmingham Hippodrome
And across the country, Birmingham Hippodrome is looking to expand their pool of freelance facilitators and practitioners, with a particular focus on drama, musical theatre and acting, to deliver sessions with children and young people.
Working across our schools and colleges programme with young people aged 5 to 18, you could be:
Using drama to bring the curriculum to life in schools
Delivering bespoke workshops on acting practice and technique, from devising and script work to characterisation and performance skills
Creating accessible, inclusive sessions for SEN schools, both in school and at the Hippodrome
Opening Post 16 students’ eyes to careers on and offstage
Deadline: 14 November 2026
Photo credit: Courtesy of Boundless Theatre
Boundless Theatre and Zoo Co have announced that YoCo is back for 2027 with another Young Company, a free, inclusive theatre-making programme 16-21 year olds.
This is a free inclusive theatre-making programme for 16-21 year olds to collaborate, try stuff out, and make a brand new show. No previous experience necessary, you just need to be up for it!
Through a creative residency in the spring, workshops and a summer intensive, the team will co-create a new play alongside a professional writer and team of creatives, and perform it at a central London theatre in August 2027.
It’s free... wanna join? You’ll need to sign up to the audition workshop, happening on the 28th November 2026 at Deptford Lounge...
Deadline: Friday 20th November, 5pm
Photo credit: Johan Persson
Sheffield Theatres have announced another round of General Workshop Auditions for Local Actors (with more still to come).
These General Workshop Auditions are part of an initiative to develop awareness of and relationships with local actors. Places at these workshops are limited, so there will be more opportunities in future.
The General Workshop Auditions are forty-five minute long group workshop auditions led by Elizabeth Newman (Artistic Director, Sheffield Theatres).
There will be three sessions, all on Saturday 28th November 2026. Session 1 will take place at 10am, Session 2 will take place at 11am, and Session 3 will take place at 12pm.
To be eligible for these General Workshop Auditions you must be based within 30 miles of Sheffield Theatres and have either completed a relevant training programme, or have at least one professional credit.
Booking will open at 10am on Tue 10 November 2026.
Fight and Intimacy Directors RC Annie have announced a new online workshop to De-Role and Develop Resilience in the Creative Industry on 27 November 2026, 11am to 1pm.
How to support the self when dealing with a range of creative processes.
Acting requires one to be vulnerable. Even the most experienced actors can suffer the effects of playing emotionally exhausting scenes night after night. De-roling is about taking time to remove the character from the self after rehearsals, a show or the run.
This workshop is about using a process of connecting to the neutral body, shifting the mode of embodiment of Character, Physical Creative or Stage Management back to the Individual. Delivered by Rachel Bown-Williams.
Cost £85.
Photo credit: Andrea Leitao
The National Theatre Skills Centre has announced Masterclass: The Big Pitch-er, offering free pitching advice for emerging theatre-makers (23—30-year-olds) on 20th November 2026.
Led by industry experts from across the National Theatre, this free three-part pitching masterclass will take place at the National Theatre, South Bank, and features:
A workshop on your personal elevator pitch as a creative
Speed networking with industry professionals from across the National Theatre and beyond
A trial presentation of your pitch where you’ll gain feedback on how your show is being communicated.
All participants will also receive a ticket to the evening’s performance of Cloud 9.
Date: Friday 20 November
Workshop: 1 – 5.30pm
Performance: 7.30pm
Hidden Door are calling out for submissions, inviting artists, performers and makers to reimagine existing or develop new work for their 2027 festival.
Hidden Door specialises in turning overlooked and unusual urban spaces into temporary festivals filled with art, music, movement and stories. The team are inviting visual artists, dance artists and spoken word artists to submit works that could adapt to a range of spaces, and that resonate with the idea of Afterlives of Use.
Afterlives of Use explores how places, objects, images and stories change meaning when they are moved, reinterpreted, reimagined or put to use again. Bodies carry their own archives of movement and memory, reshaped through experience, repetition, exchange and play.
This is for work that uncovers or invents histories, transforms everyday materials and actions, or unsettles familiar ways of seeing, moving and feeling.
Deadline: Thursday 3 December 2026