Applications are now open for our 2026 Staging the World program!
August 11, 2026
FESTIVAL DATES: 23 November – 5 December 2026
STAGING THE WORLD DATES: 10 days (over the two festival weeks with a weekend break)
Location: Riverside Live at PHIVE
EOIs close: Sunday 6 September 2026 (4pm).
Applicants will be advised by 20 September 2026
What is it?
Over the past three years, NTofP has hosted Staging the World, an intensive skills development program that has connected artists of colour with acclaimed creatives through mentorship, collaboration and creative exchange.
In 2026, we are thrilled to engage Amy Sole, Wiradjuri/ Worimi playwright, director, actor, dramaturg and advocate as lead facilitating mentor of the program, in collaboration with guest First Nations theatre makers and local Barramattagal and Darug cultural knowledge holders.
Erica Brennan, a proud Gamillaroi writer, director, creative producer and performer, is curator and producer of the program as NTofP’s Associate Artist for Heartland Festival.
2026 Program Focus
Staging the World 2026 will explore the dramaturgical role and toolbox of the Director. Through dedicated space, time and creative support, the program will help artists deepen their understanding and application of the three circles of dramaturgy, with a particular focus on the third circle: “real-world context”.
The three circles of dramaturgy
For directors, dramaturgy can be understood through three interconnected layers:
- the form, structure and content of a work;
- the production elements and choices that shape how the work is realised; and
- the real-world context in which the work is made, staged and received.
Participants will explore how their own world, context and history can become the starting point and guiding framework for interpreting, developing and staging text. The program will support participants to identify their unique creative context and apply that understanding to performance analysis, rehearsal processes and production choices.
This intensive will support artists to develop safe, grounded practices for bringing their unique contexts into the creation and staging of new work. Participants will strengthen their performance analysis skills and learn how to lead safe creative rooms that are respectful of multiple contexts and create work with strong connection to place and time.
Cultural Consulting Notes: NTofP are engaged in consultation with local knowledge holders of Burramattagal, the traditional custodians of the land now known as Parramatta and surrounding country, on the creation and facilitation of this course and to support the relationship between local community, visiting artists and mentors. Consultation will be ongoing throughout the program.
APPLICATION INFORMATION
- Applications open: Friday 21 August 2026
- Applications close: Sunday 6 September 2026 (4pm)
- Applicants will be advised by 20 September 2026
- REQUIRED DATES runs over 10 days during Heartland Festival: 23 November – 5 December 2026.
- Applications are open to Directors and Theatre makers who are Bla(c)k, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC).
- Ideal candidates: Live performance artists who consider Directing, Theatre Making and/or Dramaturgy as part of their practice.
- Preference will be given to applicants with a connection to Western Sydney.
- An $800.00 stipend will be provided to participants to support travel and expenses.
- Number of participants: 6 – 8
REQUIREMENTS
- Applicants must submit a Bio with experience
- Participants must be able to commit to full period
- Applicants must be over 18.
- Applicants must be from a BIPOC background
Please send questions to: NTofPHeartlands@gmail.com
PROGRAM STRUCTURE
Week One: Unpacking Dramaturgy
Week One introduces key dramaturgical concepts and supports participants to understand how context informs their directorial practice.
- Understand the Third Circle of Dramaturgy: Context as the foundation of directorial practice.
- Who are you as an artist? Exploring your lived experience, cultural identity and personal dramaturgies.
- Explore connection to Place and Country. Understanding where we make work and our responsibility to Place.
- Identify the stories you are drawn to and why – What are you lures?
- Introducing the First and Second Circles of Dramaturgy.
- Practical tools for analysis: breaking down a rehearsal script.
Week Two: Putting It into Practice
Week Two focuses on applying dramaturgical thinking in rehearsal, development and staging processes.
- Building a development/ rehearsal plan.
- How to create a safe and rigorous rehearsal room
- Exploration and Staging – What is a directorial process?
- Making directorial choices that connect text, production and real-world context.
- Developing a personal dramaturgical framework to guide your artistic decision making. Using a full understanding of 3 Circles of Dramaturgy
ABOUT: AMY SOLE
Amy Sole is a proud Wiradjuri/ Worimi person. Amy is a playwright, director, actor, dramaturg and advocate. They are the Creative Associate at Ilbijerri Theatre Company and hold a MFA (Directing) from NIDA and a Master of Theatre (Playwriting) from VCA.
Recent works for theatre include Robot Dog (Director, Melbourne Theatre Company), The Black Woman of Gippsland (Associate Director, Melbourne Theatre Company), Whitefella Yella Tree (Co director, Griffin Theatre Company), Forgetting Tim Minchin (Director, 25a, Downstairs Belvoir,) Benched (Director, Darlinghurst Theatre Company), Burning (Writer/director, NIDA).
Amy regularly directs developments of new works, most recently Phoebe Grainer’s Sugarcane for the Queensland Premier’s Drama Award and Dylan Van Den Berg’s way back when at Darlinghurst Theatre Company. They have worked as Assistant director on God’s Country (NIDA), Metamorphoses (NIDA), and RENT (Sydney Opera House). They are Creative Director of Big Blak Bang, a festival of First Nations storytelling, a member of Melbourne Theatre Company’s Artistic Associate advisory council, and a sitting Co-Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee.
ABOUT: STAGING THE WORLD
National Theatre of Parramatta launched the Staging the World program in 2023 with a two-week intensive mentorship with one of the world’s leading playwrights, Tarell Alvin McCraney. In 2024 the program was led by US director Mina Morita and in 2025 by UK playwright and actor Azan Ahmed. We are thrilled to be launching our fourth year of this successful program.
National Theatre of Parramatta is an essential hub for inclusivity, creative exploration, growth and empowerment. Our work and programs are critical in that we invest in careers and open doors for our artists, creating long term opportunities and networks.
Read more about our previous programs with Tarell Alvin McCraney, Mina Morita and Azan Ahmed.
FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS
“It was so much more than I could have imagined and taught me a range of skills such as poetry writing and how to perform spoken word. It helped me develop skills outside my usual skillset.” – 2025 participant
“Working with a whole team of POC artists. This was the first time in a long time I’ve been able to do this and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. It felt like such a safe and understanding space to work in because of this, since we all had relatable experiences. “ – 2025 participant
“Mina is fantastic, bringing a wealth of experience and valuable insights. Her communication style is open, caring, and inclusive, creating a strong sense of being truly “seen.” There’s a feeling that any creative would find her guidance to be a tremendous asset. I have no doubt that I’ll carry many of the things she’s shared with me throughout the rest of my career.” – 2024 participant
“It is an incredible program that fosters Western Sydney artists and emerging directors. The things you learn in the process are invaluable to developing good directing practice. For BIPOC artists this program provides us with a space to discover and explore our artistry. As an Aboriginal man, to have a program that provides a space where my cultural practice and directing practice intersect was beyond enriching.” – 2024 participant
“I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. I assumed it would be similar to other workshops that I’ve done in the past. It wasn’t that this program didn’t meet my expectations, it’s that what we covered was so outside of my experience, I don’t think I could have seen it coming. It didn’t exist inside my awareness until we were in the middle of it. It was really valuable and I believe more people should have the opportunity to have space held for them in this way. It’s something that the five of us learned over the course of the week and I’d love it if we had the opportunity to pass that on at some point.” – 2023 participant
“Tarell was incredible; vulnerable, generous, responsive, caring, smart, wise. It was a deeply meaningful experience that I will carry with me for a long time”. – 2023 participant