The SBTS Family Musical Residency
Help us create the next Shakespeare by the Sea Family Show.
For more than twenty years, Shakespeare by the Sea's Family Shows have delighted audiences with original adaptations that are funny, heartfelt, imaginative, and gloriously ridiculous. From fairy tales to classic adventures, these productions have become a beloved tradition for generations of families and a cornerstone of our summer season.
Now we're looking for the next one.
Shakespeare by the Sea (SBTS) is excited to launch The SBTS Family Musical Residency, a biennial opportunity for an Atlantic Canadian artist or writing team to develop a brand-new family theatrical work inspired by stories from the public domain, with the support of SBTS' artistic staff and Playwrights Atlantic Resource Centre (PARC).
Every two years, SBTS will select one artist or writing team to receive dramaturgical mentorship, workshop opportunities, and financial support to develop an original work that reflects the creativity, humour, and theatrical imagination that have become hallmarks of the SBTS Family Show tradition.
About the Residency
The SBTS Family Musical Residency is designed to foster the creation of bold, imaginative Atlantic Canadian family theatre that can become part of Shakespeare by the Sea's beloved Family Show tradition.
While the selected work may take the form of a traditional musical, we also welcome proposals for plays with music and other forms of music-infused theatrical storytelling.
Proposals may include, but are not limited to:
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Actor-musicians performing live within a production.
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Live musicians integrated into the performance.
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Recorded musical backing tracks.
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A combination of live and recorded musical elements.
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Other innovative approaches to incorporating music into theatrical storytelling.
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While completion of the residency does not guarantee production, the program is designed to support exceptional new work with the goal of bringing it to the SBTS stage.
Eligibility
The SBTS Family Musical Residency is open to artists or creative teams where at least 50% of the participants identify as Atlantic Canadian artists*.
Applicants may submit as individual artists or as writing teams. Collaborative teams may include playwrights, composers, lyricists, musicians, or other creative collaborators.
*For the purposes of this call, an Atlantic Canadian Artist is an artist who has a meaningful connection to Atlantic Canada through residence, origin, cultural community, or sustained artistic practice. This includes individuals who currently live in Atlantic Canada, were born or raised in the region, have previously resided there for a period of at least two years, or maintain an ongoing artistic, cultural, or community-based relationship with the region.
Atlantic Canada includes the provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.
We recognize that artists' relationships to place can be varied and evolving. Applicants who identify Atlantic Canada as a significant part of their artistic identity or practice are encouraged to apply.
Shakespeare by the Sea’s core mandate is to create theatre that is welcoming, inclusive, and accessible to all. We strive to create productions that reflect and celebrate the diversity of the communities we serve, and we warmly encourage applications from artists of all cultural backgrounds, identities, lived experiences, and perspectives. We particularly welcome submissions from artists who have been historically underrepresented in the theatre sector. Where appropriate, we will prioritize applicants who self-identify as members of underrepresented communities, as part of our ongoing commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.
What We're Looking For
We're seeking proposals for new theatrical adaptations of stories in the public domain.
At this time, we are especially interested in proposals inspired by:
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Rapunzel
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The Sword in the Stone
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The Three Musketeers
We also welcome proposals based on other beloved fairy tales, folklore, myths, legends, and classic literary works from the public domain, and encourage prospective writers to think outside of Eurocentric stories.
While we are accepting all proposals, we are actively seeking adaptations based on beloved titles from folklore, myths, legends or other literary works from the public domain, and discourage submissions that are prequels, sequels, or other creative fairy tale “mash-ups”, although your adaptation can certainly contain any of those elements.
We're not, however, looking for a faithful retelling. We're looking for your take. Surprise us. Make us laugh. Move us. Turn the familiar upside down.
The following titles have been developed at SBTS in recent years and are therefore NOT of current interest for this residency: Robin Hood, Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, The Wizard of OZ, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Peter Pan.
Project Parameters
The proposed work should:
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Run approximately 75 to 90 minutes, and include an intermission.
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Be written for an ensemble of no more than eight performers (likely playing multiple roles)
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Carry the recognizable title of the source material.
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Be intended for family audiences.
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Be suitable for outdoor performance.
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Be suitable for performance space with very limited technical capacity, including:
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No lighting cues (SBTS performs mostly in natural light)
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No “wing” space: SBTS are seen entering from afar in our open-air theatre.
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Modest costume/set budget
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Include music as a meaningful part of the storytelling, whether through a traditional musical structure, actor-musicians, live musicians, recorded music, or another creative approach.
A completed script is not required (or desired!) for submission. We're looking for exciting ideas, a compelling artistic vision, and a clear sense of how your adaptation could become an unforgettable SBTS Family Show.
Residency Timeline
The SBTS Family Musical Residency will unfold over the following schedule:
September 30, 2026
Deadline for proposals
October 30, 2026
Residency artist(s) selected
October 2026 to January 2027
Support, consulting, and creative development sessions with SBTS creative leadership and a dramaturge from PARC. Schedule subject to change based on artist availability.
*February 28, 2027
First draft submission due.
March to April 2027
Monthly, consulting, and creative development sessions with SBTS creative leadership/ PARC dramaturge.
*May 8-23rd, 2027
Workshop Opportunity of a completed draft with dramaturge, workshop-actors and full writing/creative team present. Applicants must be available to attend this workshop period in person, subject to accessibility needs.
*August 2027
5-day writers' workshop with the director and SBTS actors from the 2027 season.
*August 2027
Public staged-reading presented by Shakespeare by the Sea.
And (Should SBTS exercise it’s programing option):
August 2027-November 1st 2027
Final notes, changes, and delivery of performance draft of script
*Mandatory deadlines and/or availability
Residency Honorarium, Rights & Future Production
The selected resident will receive:
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One-on-one dramaturgical support from SBTS creative staff throughout residency.
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A play development workshop supported by PARC.
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A professional workshop with the SBTS company, culminating in a public reading.
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A residency commission fee of:
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$10,000 CAD for a single playwright; or
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$6000 CAD each for a playwright and composer writing team, for a total residency honorarium of $12,000 CAD.
*SBTS is happy to accept proposals from individual playwrights without composers attached, or composers without playwrights attached. On a case-by-case basis, SBTS/PARC will engage in a process of matching appropriate composers with individual playwrights.
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The residency commission fee is paid in support of the creation and development of the work and is separate from any future production agreement.
The selected playwright(s) retain copyright and ownership of the work throughout the residency and thereafter.
As part of the residency agreement, Shakespeare by the Sea is granted an exclusive licence to present developmental workshops and public readings of the work for artistic development purposes.
Upon completion of the residency, Shakespeare by the Sea will hold an exclusive first right of refusal for production, for a period of twenty-four (24) months following delivery of the completed script, to produce the work as part of a future season.
During this option period, the writer(s) agree not to license or produce the work with another producing company without first offering Shakespeare by the Sea the opportunity to exercise its option.
Should Shakespeare by the Sea exercise its production option and produce the completed work, the writer(s) will receive a royalty equal to 10% of Gross Box Office Receipts, not exceeding $10,000 CAD, divided among the writing team according to their own agreement, under a separate production contract with Shakespeare by the Sea.
Should Shakespeare by the Sea decline to exercise its right of refusal within the twenty-four (24) month option period, or if no production agreement is reached, all production rights immediately revert to the playwright(s).
About Our Family Shows
SBTS Family Shows are joyful theatrical adventures created for audiences of all ages.
They are filled with memorable characters, catchy songs, big laughs, unexpected twists, and plenty of heart. Designed for outdoor performance, they embrace the magic that happens when imagination, music, and live theatre meet under the open sky.
Many Family Musicals created at SBTS have gone on to subsequent productions at SBTS and beyond, and have garnered dozens of Robert Merritt Award nominations and wins across many categories since 2005. Some notable titles include: ROBIN HOOD, THE LEGENDARY MUSICAL COMEDY, ALICE IN WONDERLAND, WIZARD of OZ, CINDERELLY, and the 2026 smash hit BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE FAIRY-TALE GAME-SHOW MUSICAL.
Submission Requirements
Please submit:
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A one-page proposal or pitch outlining your adaptation and artistic vision.
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Information about the musical and theatrical approach, including any collaborators involved, initial ideas for theatrical elements such as puppetry, sound design, scenic/costume needs etc etc.
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A theatrical résumé outlining relevant experience, including writing credits and any available writing samples.
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A brief artistic biography or résumé for each member of the creative team proposed.
SUBMISSIONS SHOULD BE MADE THROUGH THIS SUBMISSION PORTAL:
https://forms.gle/71Mn3T8jJx5djFDZ7
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Please direct any questions, concerns, and accessibility needs to:
Drew Douris-O’Hara, Artistic Director, Shakespeare by the Sea, K'jipuktuk
drew@shakespearebythesea.ca, 902-422-0295