Auckland Theatre Company is launching a new professional development initiative designed to support theatre artists across Aotearoa. The Masterclass Project kicks off in February 2026 with a visit by one of the UK’s most influential contemporary playwrights, Simon Stephens. 

His work includes The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (staged by Auckland Theatre Company in 2016), Sea Wall, Blindness (presented at the 2021 Auckland Writers Festival), Pornography and Birdland.

Stephens will lead a three-day Playwrights’ Masterclass. These sessions are designed for writers with an existing body of work, who have track record of writing plays for professional theatre and a developed artistic voice. Co-designed with Jason Te Kare, the masterclass dives deeply into the craft and culture of contemporary playwriting in Aotearoa, and the opportunities and challenges of connecting to global practice. 

Auckland Theatre Company invites applications from mid-career to established Aotearoa playwrights who:

• Have two or more full length plays produced for professional theatre that have garnered notable success in terms of audience and critical response
• Are available for all three days of the workshop.
• Are based anywhere in Aotearoa (with travel support available).
• Are over 18.

We wish to create a genuinely shared, high-trust learning evnironment for playwrights already working at a high standard, centred on advanced craft, industry realities for NZ playwrights, and artistic risk-taking.
There are strictly limited places for the Playwrights’ Masterclass and expressions of interest are now open and close on 12 January 2026. There is no cost to attend the workshops. Playwrights traveling from outside Tāmaki Makaurau can access limited travel support. 

For more information and to submit an application, please follow the link below:

https://www.atc.co.nz/learn-and-explore/artists-and-training/the-masterclass-project/playwrights-masterclass 

With sincere thanks to Cynthia Braithwaite and Peter Macky for their generous donation, and the British Council New Zealand and the Pacific for support through their Connections Through Culture Programme.