The Traverse Theatre is passionate about supporting the new. New ideas, new conversations, new writers.

Today, applications open for our Traverse Young Writers course. For the first time, Traverse Young Writers is moving online, allowing us to welcome young writers from all over Scotland to take part in the course.

Traverse Young Writers is a 10-week entry-level programme, designed for young people aged 18-25 who want support to find their own voice, experiment with new writing styles and try new things in a dynamic group setting.

The workshops starting on Mon 21 Sep will be led by playwright, poet and performer, Hannah Lavery (The Drift, Lament for Sheku Bayoh). Sessions will be interactive and hands-on with plenty of opportunities for you to get writing during the sessions themselves and engage with an invested cohort of peers. The course culminates in a 1-2-1 discussion with a member of our Artistic team to chat about your work, its future and how to take the next step with your writing.

WHO SHOULD APPLY TO TRAVERSE YOUNG WRITERS?

Maybe you’ve never considered writing for theatre before. Maybe you’re sitting on a story that’s about to burst out of you but you don’t know how to make it come alive on paper. Maybe you aren’t seeing yourself represented in Scottish theatre. Traverse Young Writers is for you.

The stories we stage at the Traverse are by anyone and for everyone. Traverse Young Writers is our commitment to discovering and developing the next generation of Scottish playwrights. Graduates from the course have gone on to have professional commissions from the Traverse and other leading theatre companies.

Hear from three previous Traverse Young Writers participants about their experience on the course. Amy, Rebecca and Jamie are currently under commission by the Traverse and are preparing for the world premiere of their plays as part of Breakfast Plays: New Tracks.