Emerging Playwrights' Lab

What is the Emerging Playwrights' Lab?

The Emerging Playwrights' Lab is Melbourne Fringe's development program for emerging writers of live performance. Three writers will receive $5,000 each, a bespoke one-on-one mentorship, a masterclass series, and facilitated peer exchange, culminating in a staged reading at an industry showcase during the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival. This opportunity is supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation.

Please download and read through the Info Pack below.

About the Opportunity

The Melbourne Fringe Emerging Playwrights' Lab is an opportunity to develop a new written work for live performance, with real support behind you every step of the way. Three emerging playwrights will be selected to receive $5,000, a bespoke one-on-one mentorship with an established playwright or industry professional, a curated masterclass series, and facilitated peer exchange sessions with fellow lab participants. The Lab culminates in an industry showcase during the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival, where each playwright presents a short staged reading to an industry audience.

Unlike many development programs, there's no expectation to deliver a fully realised production by Festival time. The emphasis is on the writing, taking the time to develop your craft, deepen your practice, and make the connections that could lead to a full production down the line.

The Emerging Playwrights' Lab is a direct expression of Melbourne Fringe's mission to democratise the arts, ensuring artists, regardless of background, training, or access, have the opportunity to develop their practice and contribute to a vibrant, inclusive cultural landscape.

Supported by the Malcolm Robertson Foundation, longtime advocates for new Australian writing. 

What You Receive

Each selected writer will receive:

•    $5,000 in cash to support the development of your work and the presentation of a short staged reading at the Industry Showcase.
•    A bespoke one-on-one mentorship with an established playwright or industry professional, matched to your experience and areas of focus (10 contact hours, arranged to suit you both).
•    A curated series of masterclasses with established playwrights and industry professionals.
•    Facilitated peer exchange sessions with your fellow Lab participants, led by award-winning playwright and dramaturg Liv Satchell.
•    Free access to all Melbourne Fringe Artist Development opportunities.
•    A place at the Industry Showcase, where the venue and audience are provided, you bring the work.

What You Deliver

By the conclusion of the Lab, you are expected to deliver:

•    A first draft of a 60-minute performance work (written submission), due Monday 14 September 2026
•    A short staged reading of up to 15 minutes to present at the Industry Showcase during the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival (pencilled in for Monday 12 October 2026)

You can bring performers or a director to support your showing, that's up to you. The goal is to get your work in front of industry, make connections, and take a meaningful step toward a full production.

Meet Your Facilitator

The Lab's peer exchange sessions and intensives are facilitated by Liv Satchell: theatre maker, writer, dramaturg, and community organiser, and one of Australian independent theatre's most respected voices in new writing.

Liv is committed to building platforms for independent artists through her company VIMH. Her work includes Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship), co-directed with Julian Dibley-Hall (La Mama); The Grief Trilogy (La Mama); and SIRENS by Benjamin Nichol (Melbourne Fringe Festival). She is a three-time Green Room Award winner for Outstanding Writing for Independent Theatre, and recipient of both the 2024 Rodney Seaborn Playwrights Award and the inaugural New Writing Award, supported by Melbourne Theatre Company as part of Melbourne Fringe Festival, for Ballkids (or, scenes from a friendship).

Liv's community work includes co-founding Small and Loud in 2016, a monthly performance program for new works in development that worked with over 300 artists across three years. Her most recent initiative, THINKING GROUND, centres the civic function of art in new project development, and has been presented in collaboration with Next Wave, Darebin Arts, and Theatre Works.

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to any artist based in Victoria who is writing text for live performance.

Successful recipients will be emerging writers. By "emerging" we mean:

•    In the first 5 years of your writing career, or
•    A recent graduate from a writing program, course, or school, or
•    Someone with plenty of live performance industry experience who is new to writing; for example, an actor who has started to write

You don't have to have written a play before. But you do need a genuine passion for writing compelling text for live performance, and an idea with theatrical presentation in mind. We're open to a range of creative approaches and we love work that breaks the mould, but it should be something that engages with stage dynamics, dialogue, and the fundamentals of dramatic or comedic storytelling. A stand-up comedy set or 60 minutes of poetry with no stage directions isn't what we're looking for here.

The proposed work must be new, with no presentations planned prior to the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival. If you're also planning a full-scale production in the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival, you're still welcome to apply, as long as the written work is still in development and would genuinely benefit from the Lab's mentorship and masterclasses.

You can apply as a solo writer or as part of a duo or writing team. The funded amount remains the same regardless of the number of collaborators.

Key Dates (2026)

Sunday 19 April

Applications close at 11:59pm

Monday 27 April

Successful applicants notified

Early May

Mentorship Pairings Confirmed; each recipient is matched with their mentor.

Friday 15 May

10am–6pm Lab Intensive #1 — Project Development & First Pages

Facilitated by Liv Satchell at Fringe Common Rooms, Trades Hall, Carlton. Participants share their ideas, read the first five or more pages of their work, and develop a clear plan for expanding it into a 60-minute piece.

Friday 22 May

10am–6pm Lab Intensive #2 — Masterclasses

 A full day of guided masterclasses with established playwrights and industry professionals, focusing on craft and process. At Fringe Common Rooms, Trades Hall, Carlton.

July

Artist Development Workshops 

Details TBC.

July–August 

Mid-Lab Check-Ins

Melbourne Fringe will check in with you and your mentor to see how the work is progressing.

Mid August

Peer Exchange Sessions — Works-in-Progress Feedback

Facilitated by Liv Satchell. A series of three short sessions (2–3 hours each), each focused on one participant's work. Excerpts read aloud, followed by facilitated group discussion covering feedback, challenges, and next steps.

Monday 14 September 

Scripts Due

First draft of your 60-minute performance work submitted.

October

Industry Showcase

Each playwright presents their 15-minute staged reading during the 2026 Melbourne Fringe Festival.

What We're Looking For

Applications are assessed by a panel of senior Melbourne Fringe staff against four criteria:

Distinctiveness

Does the proposed work explore bold, innovative, or complex themes? Does it bring something genuinely new to the table?

Diversity

Does the project bring new perspectives and contribute to a more inclusive arts sector? We're particularly interested in work that engages with intersectionality.

Capacity

Does the artist demonstrate the skills and resources to deliver the expected outcomes within the program's framework?

Artistic Understanding

Does the artist demonstrate a clear grasp of form, genre, and dramaturgy relevant to the proposed work?

Melbourne Fringe is committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all participants, with a particular focus on supporting artists from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

How to Apply

Applications have closed.

Your application will ask you to provide:

•    A working title for your proposed project
•    A description of your idea: key themes, what you know about the work so far, questions you're asking, and what you imagine for the work in its final form (approx. 200 words)
•    A bit about yourself and your writing experience: past work, skills, inspirations, and what matters most to you in creating art. You can share highlights and link to up to three reviews (approx. 200 words)
•    Which areas of your craft you want to develop through the Lab and mentorship, and how you see this benefiting your career (approx. 200 words)
•    Who inspires you: key touchstones in writing or beyond (approx. 100 words)
•    Confirmation of your availability for the key in-person Lab activities

Supporting material is optional but welcome. Limits are: video up to 3 minutes, script or writing excerpt up to 5 pages, CV up to 2 pages (1 page per person if applying as a group), and as many images as you feel make a strong case for your application.

Need to Apply in a Different Format?

Applications have closed.

If using Airtable forms isn’t accessible for you, please get in touch. We are keen to understand how to best accommodate your access needs. We can accept applications in a variety of formats, including text documents, video files, and audio files. We are also happy to work with you on other accessible application processes. We have a great team to support access, so please email [email protected]  to start a conversation.  You can also call the Melbourne Fringe office by phone. The Melbourne Fringe phone number is (03) 9660 9600 (available Monday to Friday, 10am-6pm).

You may contact us through the National Relay Service, and the link is available if you click on this sentence. Alternatively, you could download Deaf-owned Relay Service Convo.
We are open to your ideas around process. However, we cannot change the timeframes unfortunately – you’ll still need to get your proposal in by 11.59pm, Sunday 19 April 2026.

What to Expect If You're Funded

Receiving support through the Fringe Fund sits somewhere between a grant and having your work bought by a curated festival. We raise money from trusts, foundations, government bodies, and private donors, which means funded artists take on certain obligations to help acquit those funds. Circle of (funding) life.

If your application is successful, you'll sign a contract covering two main expectations:

1. You self-produce your Lab outcome

The Fringe Fund support is there to help you develop your idea, but getting it to the finish line is on you. That means managing a creative project plan and schedule to ensure your writing is ready to be presented as a short staged reading at the Industry Showcase, engaging any creatives or performers you want to collaborate with on the showing, and meaningfully engaging in the mentorship and peer exchange opportunities, including meeting progress deadlines.

2. You work collaboratively with Melbourne Fringe

Melbourne Fringe has a genuine stake in your project's success. We may offer marketing or publicity opportunities, and advice on whether your project would benefit from working with a director or dramaturg. In return, we'll ask you to keep us updated on the work's development, share your plan for the staged reading, attend occasional check-ins, and be open to feedback.

You may also be asked to contribute to our evaluation process: a brief interview, a short self-filmed reflection, or a survey. No long acquittal forms.
The work is yours. We don't claim any intellectual property. We do ask for permission to photograph or film the showcase for marketing and archival purposes, and that you always credit Melbourne Fringe as an original funder.

 

Questions or Enquiries

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact us. You can reach our Artist Services team at [email protected]. 

Do you have questions about access or applications in other formats? You can reach our access team at [email protected].

Alternatively, for all queries you are welcome to phone our office. The Melbourne Fringe phone number is (03) 9660 9600 (available Monday to Friday, 10am-6pm).

You may contact us through the National Relay Service, and the link is available if you click on this sentence. Alternatively, you could download Deaf-owned Relay Service Convo.