Scottish Society of Playwrights
@scotsocplaywrights.bsky.social
The Scottish Society of Playwrights (SSP) develops and promotes the interests and craft of professional playwrights and playwriting within Scottish theatre. www.scottishsocietyofplaywrights.co.uk
It's here! SSP Council member JD Stewart has the very first copy of Queer Plays: Volume One, a new anthology of Scottish LGBTQ+ plays. We'll be soft-launching the collection at our annual Playwrights Celebration on Monday with @playwrightsstudio.bsky.social ... and then a full launch in September!
The Scottish Society of Playwrights is delighted to announce that the winner of the sixth Hector MacMillan Award for Best New Scottish Play of 2025 is... 🏆 Black Hole Sign by Uma Nada-Rajah 🏆 Congratulations to Uma and to everyone involved in Black Hole Sign! Production photos by Mihaela Bodlovic
Happy Start of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to all those who celebrate! Our friends at @playwrightsstudio.bsky.social have compiled a list of plays by Scottish playwrights at the Fringe. Head to their website to check out the list, book tickets, and enjoy a wealth of Scottish talent...
A wee reminder to join us at our annual Edinburgh Festivals celebration. The perfect time to discuss all those Fringe hits with fellow playwrights! We look forward to seeing you there.
Voting has now CLOSED for our annual Hector MacMillan Award for Best New Scottish Play of 2025. Over the last few weeks, our members have been busy voting for this peer-to-peer award. We'll be announcing the winning play and playwright soon, so watch this space!
Work as a playwright spans far beyond commissioned plays. To reflect this, we have published guidance for Dramaturgy and Translation rates on our website. #playwrights #dramaturgy #translation
Alongside our Standard New Play Contract with the FST, we have also negotiated an updated contract that applies exclusively to National Theatre of Scotland commissions. More info on our website (link in bio) alongside specifics on the commission model for Musicals. #playwrights #musicals #nts
At the start of April, we announced new Standard Play Contract Rates for playwrights in Scotland, negotiated with our friends at the Federation of Scottish Theatre. These went into effect immediately, and more info can be found through the link in our bio. #playwright #scottishplaywrights #fst #ssp
This week we want to highlight our Fair Work Campaign. We have been part of a growing cross-union campaign to improve conditions for freelancers across Scotland’s creative industries. For more info on the campaign, visit our website (link in bio). #playwrights #stuc #fairwork #scottishfreelancers
As spring springs Scottishly upon us, we're looking back at the history of the SSP with pride. This poster was for an early SSP conference, the image mocked up by Alasdair Gray. To learn more about the SSP's history, visit the link in our bio! #playwrights #scottishplaywrights #ssp #history
FST and @scotsocplaywrights.bsky.social have have updated the Standard Play Contract used to commission plays in Scotland. These updates are clearer & easier to use, reflecting current commissioning practice, & also includes new areas such as access, recording/filming, and use of AI. 🧵1/2
Finally, but perhaps most importantly, today (April 1st) is the day our new industry rates negotiated with the Federation of Scottish Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland go live. These new contracts are effective immediately for play commissions in Scotland.
By visiting our redesigned website, you can find out more about how we fight for the rights of Scotland's playwrights, actively campaigning on Fair Work, AI Rights, Access to Funding and supporting with industry change such as Making Tax Digital.
First off, we're thrilled to unveil our new website. It has a ton of useful info on our work, including resources for playwrights, our campaign activities, and the standard rates we have negotiated alongside the Federation of Scottish Theatre. Link in bio to explore the site and find out more.
It seems fitting that the day after the official start of Spring is also UNESCO's World Poetry Day. We're celebrating new growth and Scotland's rich history of poets all at once, from Rabbie Burns to Jackie Kay. Who are your favourite Scottish poets (bonus points if they also write plays!)
Playwrights, we are holding an Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday 28th February. All current members please check your inboxes for all the important details and voting papers. If you can’t find them, drop us an email at scottishsocietyofplaywrights@gmail.com.
As we ride headlong into February, a quick reminder you can find lots of info in the resources tab of our website (link in bio), including commission & dramaturgy rates alongside a Best Practice Guideline for co-creating work. Playwriting exists in many forms, & we advocate for writers throughout.
First open scratch call for writers of the year open until Feb 7th, from Scotland based _and friends, in collaboration with Script Club Cardiff. See below for more details! opportunities.creativescotland.com/opportunity/...
_and friends Open Call for Writers
opportunities.creativescotland.com
It's a happy new year from all of us at the SSP. However, wherever and whenever you write, we're wishing you all the creative joy for 2026 and beyond.
We marked with sadness the death this week of Dublin-born playwright Clive King, a long-standing SSP member. An accomplished journalist, playwright and lyricist, Glasgow-based Clive collaborated with composer Hillary Brooks on many projects, including 'Wee Free' for @playpiepint.bsky.social 1/3
Hello, Playwrights and theatre colleagues. We have made it to Bluesky. The SSP is Scotland's theatre writer's union. We develop and promote the interests and craft of professional #playwrights and #playwriting within Scottish theatre. Give us a follow or tag us so we can find you! 🏴 🎭 ✍🏼