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.
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
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
Further information on Budget Information/Fees, Writers Brief etc can be found here on the Evolution Residency DLR Mill Theatre Brief
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
Please email your submission to Kate Canning kate@milltheatre.ie
Submissions must be made by 5pm on 22nd August 2025
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