Beyond the Draft is an eight-week writers’ group supporting playwrights in Scotland to develop their craft, confidence, and creative community without the pressure or expectation of producing a new play.

The group is part of the Fellow’s Artist Development Programme, created and facilitated by the Producing and Dramaturgy Fellows at the National Theatre of Scotland, offering free creative learning opportunities for artists who experience barriers within the theatre sector.  

Rather than focusing on delivering a finished script, Beyond the Draft gives writers time and space to develop their process and practice through workshops led by professional writers, dramaturgs, directors, and theatre-makers. Beyond the Draft also has a focus on the ‘practical’ side of playwrighting, with workshops that explore navigating the theatre sector as a freelancer, funding and producing.  

The cohort also benefit from access to a range of resources and additional opportunities, including a bespoke script library, hot-desking space at Rockvilla, theatre tickets to shows and one – to – one advice sessions to further support each writer’s personal development.   

Our Fellows are delighted to be supporting such a fantastic group of playwrights through ‘Beyond the Draft’ and cannot wait to see what they get up to next!  

Hannah Low (Dramaturgy Fellow) and Leah Byrne (Producing Fellow) said:

“By considering a broad and expansive range of barriers to access when designing this programme, we hope to take a small but meaningful step towards a more inclusive, equitable Scottish theatre sector — one where early to mid-career artists have the chance to develop their craft, gain insight into the industry, and form real connections with artists they might otherwise never have met without feeling tokenised or excluded.  

Rooted in our own lived experience as freelance artists, this programme is about giving others space to explore their own creative practice without the pressure of generating new work or the risk of being pigeonholed according to their identity.

More than anything, we are genuinely delighted to have the opportunity to create something we know we would have benefited from.” 

The Fellows Programme is supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.