New SSP@50 Fellowship Awards to Honour and Celebrate Playwriting in Scotland

In November 2023, the Scottish Society of Playwrights (SSP) celebrates its 50th anniversary. To mark this significant milestone, the SSP have launched the SSP@50 Fellowship Awards, supported by Creative Scotland through National Lottery Funding.

Ten Fellowship Awards of £4000 (plus production support) will be offered to playwrights for innovative, inspiring, boundary-stretching projects that honour, celebrate and promote playwriting in Scotland.

Projects can be anything to do with playwriting and theatre, should be in collaboration with a local venue, and should explore what theatre means to the playwrights and their local community. 

11 partner venues, Aberdeen Arts Centre, An Tobar and Mull Theatre, Braw Clan/ Corn Exchange, Biggar, Byre Theatre, Dundee Rep, Eden Court, Lyth Arts, The Macrobert Arts Centre, Theatre Royal Dumfries, Tron Theatre and Traverse Theatre, are already on board for SSP@50, but playwrights are free to suggest their own venue partners.

Speaking of the initiative, Peter Arnott, Co-chair of the Scottish Society of Playwrights said: “The SSP came into existence 50 years ago in response to the emergence of a Scottish-based new-writing based theatre-making industry. What better way to celebrate than with direct funding for individual playwrights to engage with the industry and with audiences as they exist in the here and now, and into the future?” 

For more information and to submit proposals, visithttp://www.scottishsocietyofplaywrights.co.uk/FellowshipAwards.html

The SSP@50 Fellowship Awards are supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland. £88,100 was granted in October 2023 through the National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations.