Northern Broadsides seek 9 Northern playwrights and theatre makers to win £1,000 commissions responding to Coronavirus pandemic

The company are offering nine commissions worth £1,000, aimed at Northern theatre makers struggling to make ends meet in these difficult times. This new digital venture comes shortly after all UK Theatres closed to avoid the spread of Coronavirus, and the company’s UK Tour of J.M. Barrie’s regency rom-com Quality Street came to a halt.

The project, ‘Digital Squad’, follows Artistic Director Laurie Sansom’s promise to create all productions with a creation squad; a group formed from a local community. Quality Street, for example, was co-created with a group of workers from the factory where the chocolates of the same name are made in Northern Broadsides’ hometown.

A shortlist will be made of pieces that demonstrate a unique response to a world that will never be the same again, and an original way of communicating it through a short 5-10 minute video. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a virtual conversation to talk about their ideas by 24 April, with the final decisions being made shortly after.

It will be awarded to a diverse range of artists who best represent the entirety of the region and who have a bold and original proposal. Playwrights may wish to write a piece to be performed by Northern Broadsides’ Quality Street acting company (who were touring when the virus hit), whilst other theatre makers may wish to perform it themselves or use the medium in other ways. Applications are due in by Thursday 16 April. Full details on how to apply can be found at www.northern-broadsides.co.uk.

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