Playlab Theatre is partnering with Backbone Youth Arts to empower young people to tell the stories only they can tell.
Inception introduces ten school-aged artists to the craft and processes of professional playwriting, whilst allowing them to explore their creativity and ideas in a nurturing environment. Across four months, young artists will work with experienced facilitators Dirk Hoult (Playlab Theatre) and Stephen Quinn (Backbone Youth Arts), as well as a variety of leading industry mentors, to write and develop two contrasting five-minute monologues. These works will be publicly performed by members of the Backbone Ensemble at the end of the program to industry leaders, and subsequently published by Playlab Theatre (and distributed nationally and internationally).
Through a range of activities designed to cultivate unique voices, Inception participants are mentored through intensive workshops, structured writing time, creative development, and one-on-one dramaturgy.
Inception is a FREE program, supported by the Brisbane City Council.
2026 APPLICATIONS NOW CLOSED
INCEPTION will run from the 7th March until the 6th of June. The dates and times below are subject to change.
Applications close Jan 30, 2026.
Offers made week of Feb 09.
MARCH
Sat 7 – 10am to 4pm – Weekend Intensive
Sun 8 – 10am to 4pm – Weekend Intensive
Tues 17 – 4pm-6pm
Tues 24 – 4pm-6pm
Tues 31 – 4pm-6pm
APRIL
Wed 08 – 10am to 4pm – Holiday Intensive
Thur 09 – 10am to 4pm – Holiday Intensive
Fri 10 – 10am to 4pm – Holiday Intensive
Tues 21- 4pm-6pm
Tues 28 – 4pm-6pm
MAY
Tues 05 – 4pm-6pm
Tues 12 – 4pm-6pm
Tues 19 – 4pm-6pm
Tues 26 – 4pm-6pm
JUNE
Tues 02 – 4pm-6pm
Sat 06 – 10am to 4pm – Weekend Intensive & Showing
28 Tallowwood St, SEVEN HILS, QLD 4170
Q. Who Can Apply?
A. To apply you must be aged between 16 and 18 and have a love for theatre and writing. You must live in Meanjin/Brisbane.
Q. How Do I Apply?
A. Click on ‘apply now’ at the bottom of this page.
● Share a three-page sample of creative writing (it can be a script, a story, poetry etc).
● Answer the following questions:
● Tell us about yourself and your relationship to theatre/writing [150 words].
● If YOU could change one thing about the world, what would it be? [200 words].
Q. Do I have to have an idea for a monologue to apply?
A. No. In fact, we’d rather you didn’t. Our intensive workshops are designed to be creative idea generators that get new stories flowing!
What’s expected of participants?
● Attendance at all workshops in person at Backbone Youth Arts in Seven Hills .
● Attendance at development and staged reading at Backbone youth Arts.
● Engagement with the publication process and requested edits.
● Expected work outside of workshop hours, with written submission deadlines (1st monologue – Draft 1 and 2 AND 2nd Monologue: Draft 1 and 2)
Stephen Quinn, Executive Director of Backbone Youth Arts, is a maker of many things. By taking a highly visual approach, Quinn is known for creating vibrant and visceral works of theatre, installation & performance. From 2013 to 2017 Quinn was an associate artist of The Danger Ensemble, devising, performing and associate directing across their works. As an associate artist, Quinn trained extensively in the Suzuki Method of Acting Training, devoured knowledge about contemporary and experimental theatre, and experimented with the symbiotic relationship between text & design. In recent years, Quinn has evolved his work with installations into set & costume design.
Dirk Hoult is a Brisbane-based director, actor, teaching artist, and workshop facilitator for INCEPTION – intent on creating a supportive, process-driven space where emerging artists can experiment, develop original work, and find their own theatrical voice. Dirk works as a teaching artist for NIDA Open and is a seasonal guest lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts. Other educational engagements include QTC’s Theatre Residency Week, The National Theatre (VIC), Centrestage Performing Arts School (VIC), and the Arts Centre Melbourne’s ‘Megamix Social’. He holds a Bachelor of Theatre Arts (Acting) from USQ and a Master of Directing for Live Performance from VCA (UniMelb).
