The Leverhulme Trust is a long-standing supporter of artist development at the National Theatre. The Trust currently supports artist attachments at the National Theatre Studio.

The NT Studio aims to develop and encourage a new generation of theatre-makers through an extensive programme of courses, bursaries, theatre workshops and development. Artist attachments provide emerging and established artists with a quiet office, a regular fee and the opportunity to engage with a creative community. Artists are encouraged to try out ideas and realise their full potential in a nurturing environment, without the pressure of public performance.

The National Theatre Studio is what it says on the tin: a studio, a workroom to create and cultivate work that isn’t yet ready to be judged. Some of my happiest times as a playwright have been spent there. A lot of what ends up in front of audiences at the National, and elsewhere, is developed at the Studio. The building and its people are a vital part of British theatre, responsible for helping to give voice to countless theatre-makers.

Samuel Adamson, playwright