Here is our annual blog sharing our call out plans, this information includes the call outs we know about that will happen between July 2026 to June 2027. We hope this will be useful to see when opportunities are coming. In the next 8 weeks we will add information about our Family Day commissions in partnership with OneRen/Paisley Arts Festival, Aberdeen Performing Arts/Light the Blue and Glasgow Life/Merchant City Festival.
All call outs will be advertised on our Opportunities page where you will also find workshops, events and infomation about our year-round Go & See Fund and Hot Desking offers.
If you have any questions about our opportunities or would like to ask us for advice about a theatre and dance performance for young audiences, including support with putting a funding application together, you can email applications@imaginate.org.uk or call 0131 225 8050 and we can arrange that with you.
Other dates for your diary
- Imaginate Summer Social: 14 August 2026
- Imaginate and Traverse Theatre Scratch That! event – 14 November 2026
- Edinburgh International Children's Festival: 29 May – 6 June 2027
Call out deadlines
Call out information
Launchpad
Launchpad is a project to support early-career/career-shifting theatre and dance artists interested in making performance for young audiences. Our aim is to create routes into the sector, offer paid research and development time, an international children's festival visit and support to develop new theatre or dance ideas for children to a scratch stage.
Call out online – open now
Application deadline – Tuesday 15 September 2026
Panel decision by – Thursday 8 Oct 2026
Eligibility – open to early career artists based in Scotland looking to develop a new theatre or dance performance idea for children
Project timeline – the Launchpad project should take place sometime between November 2026 to June 2027.
Scratch That!
Scratch That! is our annual event sharing early-stage theatre and dance scratch performances for young audiences. This year the Scratch is in partnership with the Traverse Theatre.
Call out online – open now
Application deadline – 14 September 2026
Panel decision by – 28 September 2026
Eligibility – open to artists based in Scotland, focus on new scratch ideas for young audiences
Scratch date – 12 November 2026
Accelerator
Accelerator is an Imaginate project offering research & development funding, mentoring, producing support and performance opportunities for artists based in Scotland to create new theatre and/or dance works in progress for young audiences.
Call out online – open now
Application deadline – 21 September 2026
Panel decision by – 16 October 2026
Eligibility – open to artists based in Scotland who have made and toured theatre or dance performances before who would like to develop a work in progress of a new performance idea
Project timeline – the Accelerator project should take place sometime between November 2026 to June 2027.
South Asian new writing
This is a call out for a South Asian writer based in Scotland who would like to develop a new script for young audiences to be presented as a rehearsed reading at the Children’s Festival in June 2027. This project is in partnership with South Asian Artists Scotland and Playwright Studio Scotland.
Call out online – August 2026
Application deadline – 28 September 2026
Panel decision by – 23 October 2026
Eligibility – open to South Asian writers based in Scotland with a script idea for young audiences
Project timeline – the writing can happen any time between November 2026 to May 2027 with rehearsals and presentation of the rehearsed reading at the Children’s Festival (between 31 May – 4 June 2027)
Imaginate Teachers Club (ITC)
ITC is an opportunity for teachers to see performances, take part in pre- and post-show discussions, and meet artists, arts organisations and other teachers from our alumni group of nearly 50 previous Teachers Club members.
Call out online – September 2026
Application deadline – October 2026
Panel decision by – November 2026
Eligibility – opportunity open to nursery, primary, secondary and ASN teachers practicing in local authority schools in Edinburgh and surrounding areas
Project timeline – selected teachers will join for an introductory meeting on 29 January 2027 followed by visits to see performances at the Children’s Festival between 1 to 5 June 2027, at Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2027 and other shows between March to September 2027.
International Visit
Every year we do a call out for artists and freelancers in Scotland to join us on a visit to an international children’s festival. This year we will visit krokusfestival in Hasselt, Belgium for their 20th birthday edition. Selected artists will receive a fee for their time with all travel, accommodation, per diems and festival tickets covered.
Call out online – September 2026
Application deadline – early October 2026
Panel decision by – 30 October 2026
Eligibility – open to freelancers in Scotland who are interested in theatre and dance for young audiences including makers, performers, producers, designers and production staff
Project timeline – we will visit krokusfestival for 3 nights between 3 – 11 February 2027
Amplify
Amplify is a new professional development project funded by the Expanded Festivals Fund that will offer selected artists paid mentoring time and attendance at the Children’s Festival 2027.
Call out online – December 2026
Application deadline – January 2027
Panel decision by – February 2027
Eligibility - open to freelancers in Scotland who are interested in theatre and dance for young audiences including makers, performers, producers, designers and production staff
Project timeline – the mentoring sessions can take place any time between April to June 2027 with a day at the Children’s Festival between 31 May – 6 June 2027.
Professional Development Day at the Children’s Festival
Every year we do a call out for places on a free delegate day at the Children's Festival with the opportunity to spend the day with peers seeing work, attending delegate events and meeting each other. This group will be hosted by a paid freelancer, someone who has a connection with Imaginate and who can help you navigate the festival.
Call out online – February 2027
Application deadline – March 2027
Panel decision by – April 2025
Eligibility – open to freelancers in Scotland who are interested in theatre and dance for young audiences including makers, performers, producers, designers and production staff
Project timeline – the delegate day will be at the Children’s Festival so between 29 May – 6 June 2027
Theatre in Schools Scotland (TISS)
The next programming period for touring work will open between April to June 2027, for theatre and dance productions to tour into schools during the 2027-2028 academic year.
However, we are pleased to have an ongoing open call for future work for the TISS programme. We want to hear about your ideas, works in progress, and shows that may be ready to tour further in the future.
The form will remain open for you to tell us about your work on a rolling basis and we will continue to review submissions.