Nick Hern Books to Launch Playground Residency with An Tobar

Nick Hern Books and An Tobar and Mull Theatre have partnered to launch the Playground Residency, a new paid, three-week residency for two professional playwrights on the Isle of Mull, one of the Hebrides' most remarkable islands. Taking place in April 2027, it will offer one playwright who is Scottish or based in Scotland and one from elsewhere in the UK dedicated time to develop a new play.

The Playground Residency will provide the selected playwrights with dedicated time and space to develop new work. Each playwright will receive three weeks' accommodation, a weekly stipend of £600, a contribution towards travel expenses, access to An Tobar and Mull Theatre's Writers' Studio, and dramaturgical support from the theatre's Artistic Director, Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, as well as opportunities to connect with the vibrant local community.

Based in Tobermory, the residency will give writers the opportunity to draw inspiration from Mull's remarkable landscape, wildlife and thriving creative community. This unique opportunity allows writers to embark on journeys and nurture ideas, while engaging with the island's cultural life.

More information, including how to apply, can be found at www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/residency.

Matt Applewhite, Publisher and CEO of Nick Hern Books, comments: 'We're excited to be expanding our Playground programme, and working with the wonderful team at An Tobar and Mull Theatre to offer professional playwrights the increasingly rare gifts of time, space and freedom – in stunning surroundings. The residency will give two writers a chance to step away from everyday pressures and make meaningful progress on a new play. We can't wait to welcome them and see where this opportunity takes their work.'

An Tobar and Mull Theatre's Artistic Director and CEO, Rebecca Atkinson-Lord, adds: 'We're thrilled to be partnering with Nick Hern Books to give playwrights the time and space for inspiration to flourish. As support structures for new writing erode across the UK, it's vital to find ways to help playwrights keep creating in the ways that work best for them.'

Applications for the Playground Residency close at 12pm (GMT) on Monday 2nd November 2026.

Applicants must be aged 18 or over, be based in the UK, and have had at least one play professionally produced as a full production with a run of three weeks or more. Applications should be based around an idea for a new play that the writer intends to develop during the residency.