Evolution Residency

This year marks the inaugural year of the Evolution Residency, a new residency opportunity for theatre writers, funded by the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council Arts Office and hosted by dlr Mill Theatre, in partnership with the Dublin Theatre Festival and the Performing Arts Forum.

This residency is designed for one mid-career playwright who wishes to dedicate time to developing their craft and a new theatrical work. It offers time, space, and resources to support an ambitious creative project, encouraging exploration of new forms, larger scale productions, or multimedia integration.

The residency begins with participation in the Next Stage Programme during the Dublin Theatre Festival, providing intensive exposure to international performance work, as well as engagement with fellow participants through workshops and discussions.

Following the festival, the playwright will engage in several hybrid writing weeks across autumn and spring, with access to hot desking at dlr Mill Theatre, the option of remote working, and dramaturgical support provided by Associate Dramaturg Pamela McQueen.

The residency culminates in a mid-point development workshop and a public work-in- progress reading of the playwright’s new work at dlr Mill Theatre. Dlr Mill Theatre is a fully accessible, diversity aware and a signed up member of the Safe to Create protocol theatre. We welcome applicants of all identities with all characteristics. You can make an application in video as well as written format.

Budget Information

The writer will receive a fee of €8,000 for their time
An additional budget of €3500 is allocated for workshops and artistic collaboration
The writer will also receive the same fee and accessibility support fund as their fellow Next Stage participants. https://performingartsforum.ie/forum-notice/next- stage-2025-applications/

Residency Objectives

To create opportunities for the playwright to:

Develop an ambitious new piece of theatre in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
Experiment with form, structure, and presentation
Collaborate with dramaturgs and other creative professionals
Share their process through a public reading
Engage in professional development through the Next Stage Programme Writer’s Brief

Applicants must include in their application:

A resume of their writing career
A one-page proposal outlining the area of exploration for this residency. This may relate to an idea or piece of writing already explored at an early stage, but must not have received any form public presentation.
Describe how this residency will influence the growth and evolution of your creativepractice.

The proposal should reflect a spirit of artistic risk, innovation, and/or scale, in keeping with the aims of this new residency.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

Be mid-career, defined as having a minimum of two fully staged professional theatre productions with Equity rate paid theatre makers.
Have experience beyond development stages (readings, workshops, semi-staged work are counted as additional experience to main productions)
Be available between October 2025 and June 2026
Be willing to participate in the Next Stage Programme, attend hybrid writing sessions, and present a public reading of a part or whole of the new work
Applications are open to individual playwrights only.

Application Submission

Applicants are asked to submit the following:

A resume detailing their writing career and professional productions
A one-page proposal on the area of exploration for the residency
Outline the impact of this residency on your practice development
(Optional) Supporting materials relevant to the proposal

Selection Criteria

All applications, received in advance of the deadline will be assessed using the following selection criteria:

1. The quality, originality, and ambition of the proposed idea, including the writer’s voice, innovation in form or scale, and alignment with the residency’s aim to support bold theatrical work.

2. The applicant’s demonstrated professional experience as a mid-career playwright, including a minimum of two fully staged professional productions and additional development activity.

3. The clarity and thoughtfulness of how the residency will support the playwright’s ongoing development, artistic growth, and professional trajectory.

4. Willingness to engage in dramaturgical dialogue, collaboration, and public sharing of work-in-progress as part of a supportive development process.