By Grace Hatchell, writing from the Theatre Village sorting office, where I’m pretending not to refresh the Stage One application page like a woman waiting for concert tickets and divine intervention.
Stage One has opened applications for its 2026/27 Producer Placement Scheme, offering paid year-long opportunities with major London commercial theatre organisations and regional venues including Sonia Friedman Productions, Francesca Moody Productions, Rodeo Productions, the Royal Court, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Glasgow Citizens Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and Sheffield Theatres.
There are some theatre jobs that sound like they belong behind a very large locked door.
Producing can feel like one of them. It is the bit of theatre that audiences might not always see, but without it, the whole thing would be wobbling about like a trestle table at a village fête. Someone has to find the money, shape the project, support the artists, work with venues, think commercially, manage people, solve problems and somehow make the magic happen without spilling coffee on the contracts.
So when Stage One announces paid placement producer opportunities, my ears prick up.
Stage One has announced the organisations and venues taking part in this year’s Producer Placement Scheme as part of its 2026/27 programme. Applications are now open, offering emerging producers the chance to spend a year working across some of London’s leading commercial production offices and some of the UK’s most dynamic regional theatres.
And yes, before anyone asks, I am very much cheering from the sidelines with a flask in one hand and a hopeful little glint in my eye. Would I like a place? Well a girl can dream. But more than that, this feels like the sort of opportunity that could genuinely change someone’s route into theatre.
Since 2006, Stage One has facilitated more than 100 paid placements in West End producing offices, alongside more than 40 placements in regional theatres since the launch of its Regional Placement Scheme in 2013. According to Stage One, 75% of participants are still active in the industry, which says a lot about the value of being given proper access, proper training and a proper chance.
This year’s London placements will be hosted by Sonia Friedman Productions, Francesca Moody Productions, Rodeo Productions and the Royal Court. Participants will work across major West End transfers, productions and national tours, gaining experience in producing, general management and development.
Across the UK, the national placements will be hosted by Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Glasgow Citizens Theatre, Mercury Theatre Colchester and Sheffield Theatres. These placement producers will work across programming, co-productions and in-house projects on 12-month fixed-term contracts.
That regional spread matters. Theatre careers should not feel like they begin and end at a London postcode. There is talent everywhere, ambition everywhere, and, let’s be honest, plenty of people outside the capital who could organise a production budget, soothe a panic, and still remember who ordered the oat milk. Yorkshire training, that. We call it “getting on with it.”
Kash Bennett, Executive Director at Sonia Friedman Productions, said the company has long been a proud supporter of Stage One, with many members of its team having benefited from the organisation’s work at key moments in their careers. Bennett added that supporting emerging talent is fundamental to the long-term health and diversity of the industry.
Jeremy Woodhouse, Head of Producing at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, also welcomed the opportunity, describing it as an exciting time for a trainee producer to join the organisation as it enters a new chapter in its 75-year history.
Abbi Roberts, Operations Director at Stage One, described the scheme as offering paid, year-long opportunities for early career producers to learn from industry-leading commercial offices and producing venues. Twenty years on from Stage One’s first placements, she said the organisation is proud to continue opening doors for emerging talent across the UK.
And that phrase — opening doors — is the thing that stays with me.
Because for all the sparkle of theatre, the way in can still feel unclear. Some people grow up knowing what a producer is. Some people have contacts, confidence, family support or the vocabulary to walk into rooms and sound like they belong there. Others are standing outside thinking, “I love theatre, I know I’ve got something, but where on earth do I start?”
This is where schemes like Stage One’s can make a real difference. Not by offering vague encouragement, but by giving people paid time, real experience and a place inside the room.
Stage One itself is the operating name of the Theatre Investment Fund Ltd, a registered charity dedicated to educating, training and supporting emerging theatre producers nationwide, with a strong focus on entrepreneurship and those traditionally underrepresented in the industry. Its wider work includes workshops, bursaries, placements, investment, mentoring and advice.
For anyone serious about producing, this feels like one to look at properly. Not a “maybe one day” opportunity. Not a “stick it in a folder and forget it until the deadline has galloped past” opportunity. A sit-down-with-a-cuppa-and-read-the-details sort of opportunity.
Applications for the placements are open now via Stage One’s portal, with a deadline of 12 noon on Monday 22 June.
And to whoever gets those places: go on. Make something happen. Learn everything. Ask questions. Take notes. Carry snacks. Theatre needs people who can dream big and also sort the spreadsheet.
I’ll be cheering you on from the satchel. And maybe, just maybe, eyeing the door myself.
For those wishing to apply for any of the placements across the programme, you can apply here: https://stageone.org.uk/portal/ by 12 noon on Monday 22nd June.
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