We are thrilled to announce the Hodgkiss Director Award 2026, a vital fund that enables an early career director based in Greater Manchester to complete a three-month residency at with us, during the theatre’s 50th anniversary ‘A Homecoming’ season.

The Hodgkiss Director Award will be an opportunity to provide the recipient director a unique insight into the working of a large-scale producing theatre and allow them to gain direct experience to forge a sustainable career journey. At a time when opportunities to break into the creative industries have decreased, awards like this are essential to the ecology of artists based in the region and will give a wide range of opportunities both in and out of the rehearsal room.

This year’s recipient’s residency includes the role of Assistant Director on the regional premiere of the Tony Award winning musical FUN HOME, working alongside award-winning director Sarah Frankcom and the Royal Exchange Theatre’s Associate Director Emma Baggot. FUN HOME is a groundbreaking modern masterpiece based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel – a tale of grief, love, queer tragedy and queer joy told through soaring revelatory songs.

Artistic Director, Selina Cartmell said

“It is a privilege to announce the Hodgkiss Director Award 2026. In the Royal Exchange Theatre’s 50th anniversary year, we are delighted that our longstanding partnership with the Hodgkiss family continues to enable our support of trailblazing directorial talent in Greater Manchester. We look forward to embedding this year’s Awardee into the heart of our Homecoming season, offering them a bespoke opportunity to develop their creative practice, enhance their industry networks and learn more about making theatre at scale in our unique auditorium.” 

This award builds on our proven track record of supporting directors through placements and awards at key moments in their career. Oli Hurst, the Hodgkiss Award Winner in 2024, has gone on to direct several small-scale productions in Manchester, alongside assisting Thomas Ostermeier on THE SEAGULL at the Barbican in London, and this year will be assisting Benedict Andrews at the National Theatre in London. It has recently been announced that Robert Furey, Hodgkiss Award Winner from 2025, is a finalist for the prestigious JMK Award.

The Hodgkiss family and the William Hare Group have a long history of supporting the Royal Exchange Theatre, including contributing to the refurbishment of the building following the Manchester Bomb in 1996. In 2010, Sue Hodgkiss CBE co-founded the Hodgkiss Award to recognise an outstanding emerging director. Since then, the award has supported emerging artists across a range of disciplines to develop their careers and build a lasting connection to the Royal Exchange and Greater Manchester. Sue and her daughter, the actor, writer and comedian Sally Hodgkiss, are longstanding supporters of the theatre and continue to champion the award and the artists it supports.

Sally Hodgkiss said:

“It is a privilege to once again support emerging theatre-makers in the North West, a region that consistently produces some of the most dynamic, vital and important storytelling in the UK today”

Applications are now open – all further information can be found on our Jobs Page