Fresh Ink

Black Swan are pleased to be co-presenting the Fresh Ink National Mentoring Program with the Australian Theatre for Young People.

The initiative designed to support emerging writers has been running for 15 years, connecting young writers across Australia with industry professionals and mentors in order to enhance their writing skills and network. The mentor for Fresh Ink Perth will be Black Swan's Literary Director, Chris Isaacs.

In 2024 there will be four emerging writers for performance (aged 18-26) from each participating state. Throughout the year they will produce two short works for the stage as well as attend regular meetings with their mentor to hone their skills and build their writing community.

The Fresh Ink National Program is supported by the Jibb Foundation.

Applications for Fresh Ink Perth 2024 are now closed.

Applicants will need to provide:

• CV/Resume (maximum 2 pages) as a PDF file, detailing any writing, theatre or creative arts experience, including any study.
• A writing sample (maximum 3 pages) as a PDF file. This can be from an existing script and can be an excerpt or whole scene, or if you are new to theatre writing you can provide a sample of other writing (screen, poetry, audio work etc).

Eligibility:

• Writers must be aged 18–26 years old at the time of application.
• Writers should have some experience in the past with writing for performance (may include work for stage and/or screen, poetry, audio work, devised work, etc.).
• Writers must be available to meet the time commitments (briefly outlined above) between April and December 2024, including both attending meetings (in-person) and having the capacity to write material between meetings.
• We strongly encourage applications from First Nations people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, people from Disabled and d/Deaf communities, and people from LGBTQIA+ communities.

Throughout the program participants:

• Attend a pre-arranged workshop session at least once a month with their mentor for 6 hours (or equivalent).
• Work with professional directors and guests to widen networks and build skills.
• Deliver a 15-minute play in July that will be rehearsed and performed by professional actors for an invited audience.
• Deliver a 30-minute play in November that will be rehearsed and performed by professional actors for an invited audience.

Participants Receive:

• Mentoring across 8 months by an industry professional.
• The opportunity to work with professional actors and directors.
• Opportunities to showcase their work to invited audiences.