Hidden Door is looking to commission new work and present innovative existing work for its Theatre Programme for the 2022 Festival on the 9-18th June. The deadline for applications is Friday 11th February at midnight.

Hidden Door is continuing its tradition of transforming Edinburgh’s disused and neglected buildings into creative spaces for audience and artists. In 2022 we are taking over the iconic Royal High School and are looking to completely transform the building, both outside and in with performances, installations, bars and spaces to discover visual art, music, theatre and dance.

By stimulating the public’s interest in the potential of disused spaces, Hidden Door creates an exciting way for audiences to discover new artistic voices in Scotland. Through bringing diverse art forms together, Hidden Door aims to generate a wide audience for the arts and create high-impact events, providing the opportunity for contributors to reach new audiences and meet and work alongside a wide range of practitioners.

Individual artists and companies from anywhere in the UK are invited to submit ideas for innovative projects they would love to create, or propose existing works that they could reconfigure to work well with the striking
building and grounds.

The various spaces inside the Royal High School will be set up to be used for a variety of different art forms, but will not include a traditional end-on theatre space. We will instead be creating in-the-round spaces, inviting audiences to gather around the artists, creating the opportunity for intimate performances and increasing engagement from audiences.

We welcome proposals that consider this format, and we also welcome proposals for outdoor performance, as there are lots of interesting, distinct areas in the grounds of building. The inside is a labyrinth of passages, corridors and staircases, so proposals for performances that could travel through the interior of the building are also welcome.

Artists who are interested in innovative, experimental work will be well suited to this opportunity as will those with a background in devising theatre, and site-specific or site-responsive work.

Hidden Door attracts a wide audience, and is committed to growing audiences for art forms, so if you feel you have an idea for a work that would benefit from getting in front of a diverse audience, an audience that may be new to theatre, and an audience that is out to have a good time, then this could be the opportunity for you – get your submission in!

Download the guidelines for theatre submissions (PDF)