For Artists

GENERAL INFORMATION

We have no rules about where our work comes from – it could be from an incidental conversation, or it could be a project we have been developing for several years. Either way, the key for us is to have relationships with as many smart, adventurous, rigorous and foolhardy artists as we sensibly can, from all backgrounds and walks of life.

To do that, we see shows and showings, hold workshops, host forums, accept scripts and pitches, take meetings, travel the country, listen to the grapevine, and have lots of conversations with lots of people. If your work excites us, we will begin a conversation about how we might be able to support your ideas through to production.

We are also looking to nurture creatives from Indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds who have the potential to take on positions of cultural leadership.

Each year we produce eight to nine Upstairs shows. We produce a lot of this work ourselves, but we also work with other companies to co-present or co-produce. If you are interested in working with us, email Dom Mercer, Belvoir’s Head of New Work, and set up a meeting with one of the Artistic and Programming staff.

Our Upstairs Theatre is a big, difficult, wonderful corner space which has been home to landmark Australian theatre for three decades and counting.

ACTORS

Casting

The general rule of thumb for casting is: the better we know your work, the easier it is to cast you. We cast our work from actors we’ve previously worked with, those we’ve seen in other work, and those we invite to audition.

Each show is cast by its Director working with the Artistic Director, the Artistic Administrator, and the Artistic and Programming staff. Sometimes we cast a role by invitation, other times by audition. We cast nationally, though the majority of our actors are Sydney-based.

There are no rules as to when we cast. Sometimes a production is fully cast by the time we launch the season; sometimes it isn’t fully cast until close to rehearsals. In general, the best time to enquire about roles is in the months after we launch the new season (usually early September).

Auditions

We audition for two reasons: to get to know actors we don’t yet know, or, to test the fit of particular actors for a role. Auditions at Belvoir are by invitation only, and we host these throughout the year on an as-needed basis.

Occasionally, we hold General Auditions for artists who are new to the company to give us a chance to see more of their work. This is an open-call process where we invite expressions of interest from Sydney-based actors who are over 18, have three years of actor training or experience outside of high-school, and who have not auditioned for us previously. Our last round of General Auditions was in early 2025. Future callouts and details will be posted on our website and social media.

Expression of Interests (EOIs)

We accept EOIs for specific roles and plays in our season. EOIs are always appreciated, and although we may not be able to respond straight away, we will add your information to our long list for the team’s consideration when we come to casting the relevant show.

Contact

To enquire about available roles or send in your expression of interest, please email Belvoir’s Artistic Administrator, Kelsey Martin.

To invite the Artistic Director and the Artistic & Programming staff to see your work, please email Belvoir’s Head of New Work, Dom Mercer.

CREATIVES

The way we work with designers, whether it’s set, costume, lighting or sound, is basically the same as with directors and writers – the better we know your work, the easier it is for us to recommend you to our directors. We get to know your work by seeing shows you’ve worked on, or by working with you ourselves.

Creative teams are put together by the director of each production. They sometimes already have established relationships with designers, and sometimes need a helping hand to meet people they might share an aesthetic with. We help out by keeping a list of designers in various fields, seeing as much work as we can, and setting up meetings.

We are also looking to nurture theatre makers from Indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds who have the potential to take on positions of cultural leadership.

So, if you’re interested in working on our productions, make sure you invite us to your shows, and also send your CV and a link to your portfolio to Dom Mercer, Belvoir’s Head of New Work.

DIRECTORS

Belvoir invites directors of undeniable ability to direct ambitious and original work for either of our two theatres.

With our main stage and a development program, we are able to engage directors of all walks, from furiously intuitive newcomers to contemporary visionaries to older, wiser heads.

We are also looking to nurture directors from Indigenous and culturally diverse backgrounds who have the potential to take on positions of cultural leadership.

Most directors come to work at Belvoir after a series of conversations with the company in which the nature of the relationship between the director’s work and our work becomes clear of its own volition. This may take anywhere from half an hour to several years. Sometimes this relationship is started by Belvoir approaching a director, other times it is the other way round.

WRITERS

Belvoir works with the most exciting writers in the country in the shared pursuit of vigorous new work. We think plays, in all their myriad forms, are wonderful things. We develop and produce new work which is surprising, compassionate, well-crafted, adventurous, and, most of all, theatrical. We look for stories with big ideas about original, diverse, urgent and occasionally outlandish subjects. And we look to nurture writers from culturally diverse backgrounds who have the potential to take on positions of cultural leadership.

We do not accept unsolicited submissions from unproduced writers. If you would like a written assessment of your work we refer you to the Australian Writers’ Guild. Information on their script assessment services can be found on their website.

Commissions are by invitation, and the company will work closely with writers to support the work from commissioning to production. Occasionally, writers will be invited by Belvoir to write about a specific subject or to write for a specific project.

The Balnaves Foundation Indigenous Fellowship is open to playwrights to write a new play and also to directors or writer/directors that can lead the creation of an Indigenous-led new stage work, whether that be a new play, an adaptation or through a devised process. It also includes an invitation to have a voice in Belvoir’s artistic decision-making. For full details please see the Fellowships and Residences page.

Inviting us to see your work

The best way for us to get to know your work is to see it on its feet, so it is a good idea to let us know when you have a show, a reading or a workshop happening. We keep a record of all the invites we receive. We cannot see everything, but we get close.

To invite the Artistic Director and the Artistic & Programming staff to see your work, please email Belvoir’s Head of New Work, Dom Mercer.

AGENTS

Agents, please contact Artistic Administrator, Kelsey Martin, for all enquiries.