Amber Charlie Conroy Revealed as Recipient Of The Summerhall Arts And Hugo Burge Foundation New Theatre Writing Residency For 2026

Summerhall Arts has announced writer and director Amber Charlie Conroy as the recipient of the Summerhall Arts and Hugo Burge Foundation New Theatre Writing Residency for 2026.

The residency will support Conroy in writing her first solo play, which will premiere as part of a future Summerhall Arts Fringe  programme. This follows the award-winning run of CLEAN SLATE during the inaugural Summerhall Arts Fringe in 2025, marking a significant next step in Conroy’s artistic journey with the organisation.

Delivered in partnership with the Hugo Burge Foundation, the New Theatre Writing Residency offers a rare combination of time, space and professional support. The residency includes four weeks at the foundation in the Borders to write and develop a new piece of work with the intention to deliver it in the fringe in collaboration with Summerhall Arts, it includes a £350 a week stipend whilst in residence, and accommodation in the Hugo Burge campus in the Scottish Borders to write the play, as well as mentorship from award -winning published writer and historian Doctor James Fox.

This is followed by a further week within the actual space at Summerhall that the show will be performed in during a future fringe in order to develop the piece for the stage. It also includes mentorship and support from the experienced Summerhall Arts team, as well as  a £1,000 fee for the week. This development week is made possible by funding from Creative Scotland.

Sam Gough, CEO of Summerhall Arts, said:

"We are delighted Amber has been awarded this residency and are excited to welcome her to our family as one of our supported artists. I was blown away by the number and quality of the applications and whilst it is encouraging that there is so much strong work by new and emerging artists it underlines the lack of opportunities like this that genuinely support and nurture the next generation of our sector. We at Summerhall Arts, along with organisations like the Hugo Burge Foundation are extremely committed to continuing this support for, and the championing of, all artists to develop their craft and be allowed to experiment and tell their stories."

Lucy Brown, CEO of The Hugo Burge Foundation, said:

“Summerhall Arts remains at the forefront of Edinburgh’s Fringe scene—championing bold new voices and unforgettable live performance. Through this exciting new partnership, The Hugo Burge Foundation is proud to offer artists the gift of time and space—away from the noise, pressure, and deadlines—to explore, experiment and create. We are really looking forward to seeing what extraordinary work emerges from this nurturing collaboration.”

Amber Charlie Conroy, Writer / Director and recipient of the 2026 residency, said:

"I am unbelievably honoured and grateful to have been awarded the HBF x SHA residency. Summerhall is a venue I’ve long been passionate about, and the Edinburgh Fringe has been the birthplace of all my work. I first came to the festival at 17 and was completely bowled over - especially by Summerhall Arts atmosphere, artist support and programming. It feels surreal to now be developing my first solo play specifically for the venue that inspired me so early on. Thank you to Summerhall Arts for the support and opportunity - I can’t wait."

The impact of Summerhall Arts’ residency programme is reflected in the success of previous supported artists.

 Emma Howlett, Artistic Director of TheatreGoose, whose company undertook the residency in 2025, said:

"Our relationship with Summerhall Arts has been pivotal in this most successful year so far for TheatreGoose. In Spring 2025 we were granted a funded residency in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre to make our breakout hit show Aether in direct dialogue with the space; an invaluable and rare opportunity for young companies presenting at the Fringe and one that enriched and developed both our practice and the show. Aether went on to sell out its entire Fringe run with extra shows added, garner widespread critical acclaim including my selection for The Stage’s ‘Fringe Five’, and earn a transfer to Jermyn Street Theatre in March 2026. It marks a significant progression in the company’s profile and an exciting leap forward in our ability to create ambitious, design led, and formally inventive new work. This has been a transformative year for TheatreGoose and Summerhall Arts have been and will remain central to our development as a company and the progress of our work with their dedicated commitment to backing the artists who call their building a creative home. Our next show will debut in the Main Hall as part of the 2026 festival programme, in a new reconfiguration designed especially for the scale of the piece we want to make - there is no greater evidence for Summerhall Arts’ generous and enthusiastic support for our work than this enormous transformation in order to accommodate our artistic ambitions.”