Every new National Theatre of Scotland production starts life in the Artistic Development department, with the exception of productions made with non-professional communities, which is led by our Creative Engagement Team.
As a National Company directly funded by the Scottish Government, our annual programmes of work receive the highest level of scrutiny and need to reach a large audience. Everything we produce must be artistically ambitious, culturally significant and of the highest quality, regardless of who it is made by or for.
Because of this, we take a carefully curated approach to the artists and projects we develop and produce. We prioritise working with experienced and exceptional writers and directors, inviting them to create ideas that align with our strategic artistic and audience priorities. These can be found in our updated Strategic Framework/Business Plan which will be launched shortly.
At any one time, we can have up to 40 projects in development, to which our time and resources are dedicated. Each project receives the care and support needed to give it the best chance of success. However, not every project in development will go on to be produced by us. A list of the artists and projects currently being developed can be found here.
We almost exclusively commission and develop work by invitation. We rarely produce work with writers and directors at the earliest stages of their career; unless as part of a specific targeted/open call artist development programme, such as our South Asian Project.
We therefore do not accept unsolicited plays or proposals for shows.
Instead we:
Seek out Artists
- We work closely with colleagues across the sector to identify and share information about new and developing artists, discovered through the artist development schemes on offer.
- We have evolved our script reading programme into a script surgeries programme. This programme is available by open call across the year, beginning Jan 2027. Each selected writer will receive a one-off hour-long one-to-one conversation in person. The surgeries will be an opportunity for writers to have a detailed conversation about a play, tailored to the writer’s work and their ambitions for it, offering reflections, questions and constructive dramaturgical feedback to help writers clarify their next steps and develop the strongest possible version of their play. These opportunities will be advertised on our Opportunities page. For writers still looking for detailed written dramaturgical feedback on their play, please check out the Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, National Script Reading Service.
- Together with paid scouts, we attend readings, scratch nights, work in progress performances and fully realised productions. We are looking to discover exceptional artists, and follow their development. Please invite us to any upcoming performances as early as possible via our enquiry hub. We are a small team, so have to be selective in deciding what work we can prioritise. In the first instance we will attend the work of artists whose work aligns with our strategic priorities, as well as the promise of the story, form or creative team.
Create Opportunities
- We create paid targeted development opportunities for artists to allow them to develop their craft, often (but not exclusively) aimed at mid-career artists looking to develop their practice. working at a larger scale. These are usually available through open call though on occasion may be offered by invitation to an artist we feel will most benefit from the specifics of the opportunity we can provide.
- We offer specific free training, workshops and networking events, and other peer learning events, advertised at different points throughout the year. These are often with a particular focus on artists whose voices, stories and communities have been unrepresented and underserved. Across 2026 and 2027 these will largely be designed and delivered by our Fellows.
If you are an emerging writer or director, looking to build connections with the professional theatre sector, please do connect with the following companies/collectives/schemes:
Writers
Scottish Society of Playwrights
An Tobar & Mull Theatre and Nick Hern Books
This list is not exhaustive and was correct when these pages were last updated.
Directors
Federation of Scottish Theatre
This list is not exhaustive and was correct when these pages were last updated.
FAQS
How long does it take for an idea to make it to the stage?
On average, given our programme timeline, where we book tours and programme a minimum of two years ahead, it can take between 4-6 years from an idea being commissioned, to a show being on stage in front of an audience.
Why does it take so long?
We have between 25-40 projects under commission at any one time and work hard to keep each project moving at pace, while being mindful of not rushing work to simply tick a priority box. As a National Company directly funded by the Scottish Government, we are under the highest critical scrutiny, so our work needs to be of the highest quality and cultural significance, regardless of who the work is by or for, so we take the time required and dedicate sizeable resources to ensure all work in development has the greatest chance of critical and audience success.
Will all projects under commission be produced?
Unfortunately, not. The nature of the industry’s research and development approach is that more work is commissioned and developed than will ultimately be realised, to ensure a continuous pipeline of work that will be programme ready and speak to our priorities.
Why does some work get turned down?
Decisions on what gets programmed are based on the merits of each project. Additionally, the curated shape of each annual programme of work needs to ensure that over several years we are realising our many priorities. The questions we ask at each stage of a project's development are: How well has an artist been able to implement notes? Is the project realising its initial ambitions? Is it proving to be of sufficient quality? Is it ready to meet an audience? Are we still excited about the project? When putting a programme of productions together, we then also question how each individual project supports us to realise a programme each year that will: deliver work at all scales, have geographic reach, reach a large and diverse audience.
If we decide not to proceed with a work, we release all rights back to the lead artist and the door remains open for them to pitch new ideas at any time.
We do not make decisions to release a work lightly and we understand how hard it can be to receive rejection. We continue to encourage artists to keep developing their craft and offer advice on other companies they can approach to support their next stages of development. The door will always remain open for future collaboration on new ideas. We also believe that whilst not every work in development will be programmed by NTS, the journey an artist goes through as a project is developed will ultimately help them evolve their practice and craft.
Who makes the decisions?
The Artistic Director is ultimately responsible for curating the programme and selecting work for commission and development. They are supported in this by the wider artistic and senior management team. At all stages of development and drafting of new work, the core artistic team evaluate a project’s readiness for programme.
How diverse is the team?
The lived experiences and cultural diversity of the team changes due to staff turnaround and the diversity of core staff, which is widened each year through the inclusion of artists on shorter terms contracts such as Associate Artists and Fellows and Consultants. We are also increasingly working with paid consultants to bring identified cultural perspectives into the team to support specific projects and decisions.
Header Image | Stand and Deliver Rehearsal credit Julie Howden