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ROUGH IDEAS
ROUGH IDEAS is an open call for ideas from writers and theatre artists who are interested in making work with Rough Magic.
We are delighted to announce another ROUGH IDEAS Open Call!
To celebrate our 40th birthday; this time it’s bigger and brighter. We want to use the opportunity during this anniversary year to discover new talent and engage with even more artists.
An Open Call for emerging/early career writers to submit the beginnings of a play, or part of a play in progress, this is an opportunity to initiate a working relationship with one of Ireland’s leading theatre producers. The winner will receive an award of €2,500 and will work with our Literary Manager over the course of 2025 to develop their play.
This award is designed to give the winner the opportunity to engage in dedicated dramaturgical work alongside our ongoing commissioning structure, in order to produce a full first draft of a play.
Rough Magic was founded on the core values of egalitarianism and fairness. We welcome submissions from anyone living on the island of Ireland (or Irish citizens living abroad) and would like to encourage applications that are representative of Irish theatre artists in all their diversity – particularly from artists who are currently underrepresented on Irish stages.
Rough Magic has been commissioning writers and producing new work since its inception. For four decades new writing and artist development have been cornerstones of Rough Magic’s work. In the last two years we have produced three world premiere productions under our COMPASS strategy. We are thrilled in this anniversary year to be continuing that practice and expanding our ROUGH IDEAS programme.
Simply fill in this short application form and upload your pdf/word doc of the scenes you want to submit. Deadline is 5pm on Friday 4th October.
FAQ
Who can apply?
Anyone living on the island of Ireland, or any Irish citizens living abroad, who consider themselves an emerging or early career playwright – there is no age limit for the applicant.
What does early career mean?
We are looking for someone who has not had their work produced in a major production before. If you’ve had a short run in Fringe, or work-in-progress showings in festivals, that’s fine. If you’ve had a main stage show at the Abbey, this might not be for you.
I have a few things in a drawer, I’ll submit those. Done.
Well firstly, submissions are limited to one per writer, so don’t unpack the whole drawer. The piece you submit to work on can be something you’ve just dreamed up now, or something you’ve been tinkering with over time – the piece you submit can’t have been produced previously, or submitted as a finished play for production to other production companies.
Cool. I’ll throw my favourite 400 page manuscript in.
We want to get a sense of the play and your writing. Submissions should be a scene (or scenes) with a minimum of 10 pages and a maximum of 40 pages. The submitted scenes do not need to be sequential.
What does the winner get?
The winner will receive an award of €2,500 and monthly dramaturgical sessions with Rough Magic’s Literary Manager, Karin McCully, over the course of 2025. The winner may also avail of the support and mentorship of Rough Magic’s whole team as and when it’s necessary.
And for that I need to do…?
Write. By the end of 2025 we would hope that you’d have a first draft of a full-length play.
What happens then?
It’s important to remember it’s a first draft. We’re not expecting you to have a finished and final product by the end. We’ll be working with you throughout the year, following how your play is developing, by the time you finish the first draft we’ll be able to discuss best next steps for it – whether that’s supporting an Arts Council Application or helping you identify the most appropriate home for it. There is no guarantee that Rough Magic will produce the final play.
Ok, I’m sold. How do I apply?
Simply fill in this short application form and upload your pdf/word doc of the scenes you want to submit. Deadline is 5pm on Friday 4th October.
What if I have more questions or just want a chat?
Email info@roughmagic.ie with any and all questions
The 2022 Rough Ideas Artists were: Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng 吳彩萍, Colin Campbell, Peter Daly, Iseult Deane, Pea Dinneen, Fionntán Larney, Eleanor Methven and Ankur Vikal. Read about their ideas here.
Photo Credit: Image by Jeda de Brí of Wander Wander Wild Wild by Choy-Ping Ní Chléirigh-Ng 吳彩萍 at Rough Weekend 2022