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Theatre in Schools Scotland (TISS) is produced by the National Theatre of Scotland and Imaginate to support and develop the touring of high-quality theatre and dance performances to Scotland’s schools and nurseries. TISS presents an annual programme of productions for children and young people created by Scottish performing companies and artists. These productions are designed especially for school halls and classrooms, and can travel anywhere in Scotland.
We are pleased to announce an open call for future work for the TISS programme. We are looking for work as part of our 2027-2028 programme, but also want to hear about your ideas, works in progress, and shows that may be ready to tour further in the future. There is no formal closing date, however for consideration for our 2027-2028 programme please let us know about your work before 20 July 2026. If we are interested in programming your work for 2027-2028 we will be in touch with questions and to begin a conversation around budget, availability, and logistics. After 20 July 2026 the form will remain open for you to tell us about your work on a rolling basis; we will continue to review submissions but may not be able to consider your work for 2027-2028. |
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About TiSS Programming
How is TISS programmed?
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Each year there is a new programme of work available to schools through Theatre in Schools Scotland (TISS), which is chosen by a panel of the Imaginate and National Theatre of Scotland Teams.
For an example of lead time, work to tour between August 2027 and March 2028 ideally would be finished and have already been performed to children before August 2026 in order for us to consider it. To help with our planning, it’s very helpful for us to know what is in the process of being made, and what work you are hoping to have finished and ready in future, even if the timeline might be for several years in the future. Any time there is a chance to your work live, we would love to come along whether it is a work in progress or a finished performance. If you are interested in making or planning to make work for children, we would also come along to see your other work, even if it is for adults. |
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How do I submit my work for consideration?
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Please fill out this short form with information about your work, our panel will review all submissions and be in touch for further conversations if we are interested in programming your work.
Wherever possible please include a full-length film of your production either in performance or rehearsal. You can include partial performance/rehearsal videos if that is all you have. Quality of the filmmaking itself is not important, any film is helpful for the panel to understand the production. You can also include a script and/or detailed plot summary, this is especially helpful if you do not have a full video. If your work is currently in development, you can let us know about your plans and provisional timeline, and then update us later with more details when timelines are set or the work is complete. Please get in touch with Julian Almeida (Imaginate Schools Projects Producer), [email protected] |
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When should I share about my work or plans? Can you give advice?
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If you have an idea you think would be right for TISS in the future, the sooner you can share some information about your plans with us, the better. We appreciate the generosity and trust it takes to share your plans and ideas before they are confirmed or developed.
If we can give advice, share feedback, or make introductions or connections in the sector please do let us know. We are open to advise however we can on making or adapting a work that will be right for a schools audience and that will be possible to tour into schools. |
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What sort of ideas are we looking for?
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We are looking for ideas from people who believe children and young people deserve access to high quality, exciting theatre and dance performances. We are interested in performance ideas that centre children and who they are; artistic ideas rather than educational aims.
We want to see a wide range of artists making theatre and dance for children and young people, artists who explore different ideas, stories and styles that are relevant to and reflective of children in Scotland. We are particularly interested in supporting artists, ideas and audiences that are currently under-represented in the young audiences sector in Scotland. This includes, but is not limited to, performances that are led by disabled, global majority and/or working-class artists and shows for underserved audiences such as disabled children and ASN schools. Imaginate is a value-led organisation, and this is integral to all our work. Please review our values and commitments to ensure they align with your own before applying. |
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What kind of work is right for Theatre in Schools Scotland?
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TISS has a commitment to tour to any school, anywhere in Scotland. TISS visits large, small, urban, and rural schools, and touring often includes long drives, ferry journeys, and early mornings.
TISS tours visit a different school each day, up to 5 in a week. A daily schedule includes a 2-hour get in, 2 performances with a lunch break, a 1-2 hour get out, and then travel to the next day’s location. Some weekend travel will be necessary. Performances usually take place in the school’s gym hall or main hall, for audiences of up to 120 children at a time. All productions should be:
4.Suitable for pupils within our audience of Nursery-Secondary 2 (4-14 years). For example, suitable for Nursery-Primary 4, or suitable for Primary 4-Primary 7. |
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How does being part of the Theatre in Schools Scotland programme work?
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There are two ways for artists or companies to be part of the programme:
The average budget that we are able to support for Remounts is:
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