The Royal Theatrical Support Trust and Nottingham Playhouse Invite Entries For The RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award 2022

The Royal Theatrical Support Trust (RTST) and Nottingham Playhouse have announced that the 2022 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award Scheme is now open for entries.

Now in its sixth year, the Award - which honours the memory of RTST co-founder, Sir Peter Hall - offers the winner their first-time opportunity to direct a full-scale, fully funded, mid-scale production of a classic or modern play, which may be an existing play or a new adaptation of a novel or film. The production will open in Autumn 2023 as part of the main season of plays to be staged at Nottingham Playhouse.

The RTST will make a grant of £50,000 to be applied towards the costs of the production and the winner will be given the opportunity to work alongside the Nottingham Playhouse Artistic Director Adam Penford and the full Nottingham Playhouse team to create a full-scale work at the theatre. The theatre's participation in the Award is an extension of its commitment to developing, nurturing and providing opportunities for emerging talent via its artist development programme, Amplify. Amplify boasts over 500 members and offers free workshops, masterclasses and one-on-one support to theatre-makers. The annual Amplify festival offers artists the opportunity to develop and showcase their work and the Ideas Submission window encourages theatre-makers to pitch ideas to the venue.

The Award scheme promotes the RTST's charitable objectives by supporting up-and-coming theatre practitioners and British regional theatres. It is also intended to appeal to a wide range of candidates and to play a part in promoting diversity in the theatre, onstage, offstage and among audiences.

The winning director will demonstrate exceptional directing skills and a passion for regional theatre and will be chosen by a panel comprising Niamh Cusack (actor), Beth Hinton-Lever (actor), chair Adam Penford, Beth Steel (writer), Stephanie Street (actor and writer) and Matthew Xia (Artistic Director of Actors Touring Company).

Sir Geoffrey Cass, RTST Chairman, and Mark Hawes, Director of the RTST said today, "We're excited to be working with the inspiring Nottingham Playhouse team and with this year's multi-perspective Selection Panel of theatre practitioners on the 2022 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award. Nottingham Playhouse is a truly outstanding producing theatre with a proven strong commitment to developing creative talent and nurturing local audiences. It's therefore a perfect partner on our Award and a hugely worthy beneficiary of our £50,000 grant support for the Award-winner's career-defining, first-time mid-scale main Season production in Autumn 2023. We encourage eligible directors to enter. It's not all about the winning. For candidates who reach our in-person Director Workshops in particular, the process can provide meaningful experience and even spark industry connections."

Adam Penford, Artistic Director of Nottingham Playhouse and Stephanie Sirr, Chief Executive also commented: "We really admire what this prestigious fund delivers in terms of developing the next generation of directors and are delighted to partner with RTST. This builds on the artist development work we are already doing through our hugely successful Amplify programme. Making the transition from assistant directing and directing in smaller spaces to the main stage has always been tough, and in the current climate, it may well become increasingly so. This generous Award offers support to both the winning director and the producing theatre, whilst also introducing the work of all the brilliant shortlisted candidates to an influential panel."

The 2021 RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award winner was Denzel Westley-Sanderson and the runner-up was Nathan Crossan-Smith. Denzel is to originate and direct a play in a co-production between ETT and Leeds Playhouse in Autumn 2022. The play will be staged at Leeds Playhouse and at Rose Theatre, Kingston and will go on a national tour of theatres arranged by ETT.

Other previous award winners and official runners-up of the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award were Anthony Almeida and Maria Crocker (2019); Nancy Medina and Josh Seymour (2018); Chelsea Walker and Tinuke Craig (2017); and Kate Hewitt and Rebecca Frecknall (2016).

Entries for the RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award Scheme 2022 are now open.

To enter, please apply here.

For further details of the award, please visit the RTST's website: www.rtst.org.uk.

The RTST Sir Peter Hall Director Award opens for entries on Tuesday 12 April 2022 and the closing date for entries is 6.00pm on Monday, 23 May 2022.

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