The Playground Residency at An Tobar and Mull Theatre
Nick Hern Books and An Tobar and Mull Theatre are inviting applications for a three-week writing residency in April 2027 on the Isle of Mull for two professional playwrights – one who is Scottish or currently resident in Scotland, and one from anywhere in the UK.
The Playground Residency offers something simple and increasingly rare: time and space. With accommodation provided, a weekly stipend, travel expenses and dramaturgical support, the residency is designed to enable research, experimentation, thinking, reading and writing – without the pressure of delivering a finished script – all in one of the most extraordinary landscapes in the UK.
If you’re a professional playwright based in the UK, have an idea for a new play that you would like the freedom to explore, and feel you would benefit from three uninterrupted weeks on Mull, read on for more information and apply by 12 noon GMT on Monday 2 November 2026.
Image Credit: Beth Chalmers
About the residency
The Playground Residency is a new opportunity for two professional playwrights, delivered in partnership by Nick Hern Books and An Tobar and Mull Theatre.
The residency will take place on the Isle of Mull from Sunday 4 to Saturday 24 April 2027. It is intended to offer sustained time and space away from everyday pressures, allowing each writer to make meaningful progress on a new play through writing, research, experimentation and reflection.
Image Credit: Beth Chalmers
If selected, you will receive:
· Three weeks’ accommodation on the Isle of Mull
· A stipend of £600 per week, totalling £1,800
· Travel expenses to and from the Isle of Mull (within the UK only and up to a cap of £450)
· Access to the Charlotte Aitken Writer’s Studio at An Tobar Arts Centre
· Dramaturgical support from An Tobar and Mull Theatre’s Artistic Director
· Opportunities to connect with the local community
· Professional support and connections through Nick Hern Books, the UK’s leading specialist theatre publisher
You won’t be expected to arrive with a detailed treatment or polished synopsis, or to produce a finished script by the end of the three weeks. We would, however, hope the residency will give you the opportunity to make meaningful progress on a particular piece of work.
The Playground Residency forms part of Playground, NHB’s ongoing programme of support and opportunities for playwrights.
To find out more information about the Playground Residency and to apply click button or image below:
