Throughout the year we run opportunities for young people and our wider community in the Midlands to get involved through bespoke projects. Check out the below to see our current projects and how we engage with writers.
Jobs
Executive Producer
We’re seeking a dynamic and collaborative individual to join us as our Executive Producer. They will work closely with the Artistic Director/CEO in shaping the company’s strategic direction and ensuring its long-term sustainability.
Our Executive Producer will help steer the company’s operations and planning, with a strong focus on financial sustainability and future growth. They’ll be instrumental in supporting the development and delivery of our new touring productions, and in overseeing the delivery of our flagship community engagement programme, Our Story, made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
They will ensure the continuation of strong governance and operational management, will ensure an inclusive working culture throughout the organisation, and will help shape the future of the company at this exciting moment with Fifth Word having recently gained charity status.
We are open to candidates with or without prior direct Executive Producer experience.
Salary: £37,500-£40,000 pro-rata (depending on experience)
Period of Contract: 4 days/week, fixed term for 12 months – (with the intention to extend, subject to funding)
To submit your application, please follow the instructions outlined in the recruitment pack.
Deadline for applications: Friday 6th June 2025, 12 noon
We have prepared the recruitment pack in multiple formats available below;
If you have any questions or require further information, feel free to contact us.
Engagement Producer
We’re seeking a dynamic and motivated Engagement Producer with a strong track record of producing high-quality, creative participation projects across a range of settings. You will bring proven experience in project management, partnership working, and community engagement, along with an understanding of inclusive, co-created practice.
You will work collaboratively with the Artistic Team and Freelancers to deliver meaningful engagement activity that connects with our artistic programme and amplifies underrepresented voices. You will develop and sustain relationships with participants, partners, funders and artists, ensuring that our work is inclusive, impactful, and artistically ambitious.
A core focus of the role will be leading the delivery of Our Story- Fifth Word’s new community engagement project, made possible with funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This flagship programme will work with targeted groups and communities primarily in Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands, uncovering trans+ voices through creative collaboration. This is a hands-on role that requires excellent administrative, communication, and producing skills, alongside experience working with young people, schools, community groups, and aspiring artists of all ages and backgrounds. You will work flexibly across activities throughout the year, and the role involves travel and in-person delivery across Nottinghamshire and the East Midlands.
Salary: £31,500-£34,000 pro-rata (depending on experience)
Hours: 28 hrs. per week (typically 4 days per week, with flexible hours as needed to fulfil the duties of the role). We’re open to considering 3 or 3.5 days per week to accommodate individual needs. If this would be preferable, please indicate this in your application.
Period of Contract: Fixed term for 12 months (with the intention to extend subject to funding)
To submit your application, please follow the instructions outlined in the recruitment pack.
Deadline for applications: Monday 7th July 2025, 12 noon
We have prepared the recruitment pack in multiple formats available below;
If you have any questions or require further information, feel free to contact us.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Engaging with Writers
We’re excited to hear from artists who are interested in the company’s work. We try and see the work of up-and-coming writers wherever we can. To invite us to see your work, either in person or in digital form, or to let us know more about the work that you are interested to make, please email us at info@fifthword.co.uk.
We have currently paused our open script submission portal, to allow us to catch up with the ongoing post-Covid backlog, and while we re-evaluate how this opportunity can serve writers and align with Fifth Word’s long-term strategy in the most meaningful way. The script submission portal will reopen later in 2023. Keep an eye on the News page for more updates on the portal, and other new development opportunities for writers, coming soon.
If you’d like to be notified of all future artist opportunities, sign up to our mailing list here
Playwrights’ Resources and Keeping Creative
Here are a few of the resources and opportunities available for emerging writers – this list is by no means exhaustive but might be a useful starting point:
Masterclasses from the Bush Theatre
Blogs, toolkits and webinars from the Bruntwood Prize website
Artist development opportunities –
Financial Support, Wellbeing, Unions
Peggy Ramsay Foundation:
Grants are available for theatre writers in order to afford them the time and the space to write. You can be a writer who’s only had one play professionally produced, a writer who’s had dozens or a writer who’s somewhere in between – if you’re struggling to pay the bills, then they can help.
peggyramsayfoundation.org
Acting for Others:
Acting for Others provides financial and emotional support to all theatre workers in times of need, through their network of 14 member charities.
Actors’ Benevolent Fund:
For professional actors and stage managers who are in need due to illness, injury, or old age. actorsbenevolentfund.co.uk
Arts Council England:
Funding for arts projects of all scales, that benefit people in England. You can apply as an individual for a Project grant for a particular project, or for a Developing Your Creative Practice grant for general support to develop as an artist.
artscouncil.org.uk
ACE list of other funding sources:
artscouncil.org.uk/funding/other-sources-funding#section-1
BECTU:
Trade union representing over 40,000 staff, contract and freelance workers in the media and entertainment industries.
bectu.org.uk
Writers’ Guild of Great Britain:
The main UK trade union representing professional writers in TV, film, theatre, radio, books, poetry etc.
writersguild.org.uk
Wellbeing in the Arts:
Mental health support services for artists.
Freelancers Make Theatre Work:
Volunteer-run advocacy and support organisation for the 200,000+ self-employed and freelance workers who make up 70% of the UK theatre workforce.