Assistant Directors' Pool

The Royal Court Theatre has an exciting opportunity for six people to join the Royal Court as part of the Assistant Directors' Pool.

The Assistant Directors’ Pool will create an annual cohort of six directors at early career stages with a specific interest in new writing. Over a one-year attachment, the opportunity will introduce them to the Royal Court and provide access to paid roles and free opportunities across the year, alongside a one-off bursary to support engagement with us.

The successful candidate will have:

• A minimum of two credits as director, associate or assistant director in a professional context.
• Experience of working on a show with a run of over one week, including noting a show during the course of a performance run.
• Experience of working with writers and/or in new writing, and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities around presenting and developing new plays.

What you get:

• First access to paid freelance assistant directing opportunities on shows at the Royal Court across the year. Please note, while we will make every effort, we cannot guarantee you a paid assistant position.
• Invitations to press nights and Directors' Nights across the year.
• Credited on our website as part of the Royal Court Assistant Director Pool and access to advice and mentoring from our Resident Director and artistic team across the year.
• Early access to opportunities throughout the year, including directors’ workshops, Q&As, and observing open technical rehearsals.
• A one-off bursary of £1,000 to support your engagement with us – to be put towards anything else you might need developing your career.

As part of the Directors  Programme, you can apply for both the Assistant Director Pool and Trainee Director roles via the same application form . You will be asked whether you would like to apply for one of or both of the the roles at the start of the form.

To note, your personal statement can also be sent through in the form of a voice note, or PowerPoint presentation (no more than five slides). Should there be a more accessible form for your application to be received, please contact the recruitment inbox.
If you have any questions about the role, please contact the recruitment inbox at recr ahead of the closing date.

We know that AI can be a useful tool when you're putting together an application, whether that's drafting a CV or polishing your answers. You're welcome to use it when applying for a Royal Court Theatre role, but please make sure your application still represents you - your ideas, your experiences and your voice. We're looking for authenticity, imagination and integrity and we want to hear what makes you unique.