We hope the Studio will be a home for playwrights of all levels of experience, helping us to connect and making a range of opportunities accessible in a joined-up, sustained writing package.
If you become a member of the Studio (it’s completely free!) you can access:
These pathways are tailored for emerging Directors, Choreographers, Musical Directors, Designers, Lighting Designers, Stage Managers, Wardrobe Assistants and Technicians aged 16 to 23 who are in training or recently graduated from Higher Education.
Applications are open for 2025. There is £25 application fee which gives access to preparatory online sessions, offering skill building and group mentorship. Following these sessions you will have the opportunity to apply for a specific role on a production.
We care fiercely about Artists and Creative Freelancers working in this sector and in supporting and advocating for the very best conditions for brilliant art to be created.
Our Artist Support work is central to the organisation and is what makes us unique.
- We provide expert, artist-led support that enables people to develop distinctive ideas and thriving careers.
- We support independence and resilience by cultivating peer support, connections, and networks.
- We working with and listening to organisations across the sector locally and nationally to understand and recognise challenges they are facing.
- We advocate and lobby on behalf of artists and freelancers in sector wide strategic conversations and ensure they are at the table too.
Support for refugees and asylum seekers...
In 2014, West Yorkshire Playhouse became the first ever Theatre of Sanctuary, a public statement and recognition of our commitment to being a place of safety, hospitality and support for refugees and people seeking asylum.
We work closely with refugee organisations and with volunteers from the refugee and asylum seeker community in Leeds to offer a range of creative and practical projects, and we extend a warm welcome to the Playhouse community.
We have a dedicated programme of work during Refugee Week consisting of seminars, performances and workshops and throughout the year we offer a number of tailored and bespoke projects.
We provide creative programmes and one-to-one support to help participants develop their skills & explore potential career opportunities. We offer a range of support options for those still in education through to the long-term unemployed.
Our Model:
Since our establishment, Immediate Theatre has been committed to providing first-time employment opportunities and support for young people who would otherwise face significant barriers to employment.
Our programmes offer regular 1-2-1 support as well as group workshops, which aim to develop key employability skills through creative activities.
Our music therapy sessions use sound to create a safe environment where students can explore their feelings and memories at their own pace. The therapy is tailored to them and their specific needs, and students can access it through one-to-one sessions or as part of a group.
Our specialist music therapist works closely with our occupational therapy, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy teams and with education facilitators to provide the best learning environment. Sessions take place at one of our three different sensory rooms, or at a number of other locations across the campus. The therapist and student, through improvisation, will create and develop a musical language of their own. The music therapist is a full member of BAMT and is registered with the HCPC.
A typical music therapy session:
May begin with a welcome song, which may develop into an improvisation
Focuses on pre-composed music or an improvised piece, and this is directed by the student’s choice of instrument and playing style
Ends with a closing song to signal the end of the session
Dramatherapy is a creative psychological therapy which uses drama to stimulate creativity, imagination, insight and growth in students. These sessions focus on the individual strengths of the student, and do not rely on their verbal or cognitive ability.
Through multi-sensory activities facilitated by our dramatherapist, dramatherapy uses dramatic techniques such as storytelling, improvisation, role-play, mime, play texts, puppetry and masks to allow students to explore themselves and the world around them. It gives them space to build self-confidence, increase resilience and improve self-esteem through voice, body and creativity, which can lead to greater autonomy for self-advocacy. In addition, students learn to develop their social and interaction skills, which enables them to build trusting, healthy relationships with others.
Dramatherapy sessions can be run on an individual or group basis, and are student led. A typical session will bring creative and therapeutic approaches together to explore and develop an expression of the student’s thoughts and feelings. Our dramatherapist is a full member of BADth and is registered with the HCPC.
Audition Doctor provides bespoke acting classes that are tailored to your individual needs; helping build confidence for your next audition in TV, Film or Theatre.
We provide a service that is unparalleled with a proven success rate for getting actors back into the professional workplace and offer a variety of acting classes, from 121’s, groups and workshops.
WHAT IS IT?
The iampro self-tape challenge is a chance to work on a monologue which is judged by top industry pros such as agents, directors and casting directors. This is an amazing opportunity to get seen by the people you need to make it! A new challenge is set every month and the winner will feature in a social post for maximum exposure. All entries get feedback so you can keep honing your craft and growing as a performer.
Want to train at one of the UK’s leading drama schools? Feel like this might be financially out of reach? Open Door helps talented young people aged 18+ who do not have the financial support or resources to gain a place at one of the UK’s leading drama schools.
We are incredibly passionate about supporting aspiring actors who are serious about pursuing a career in acting and are looking to apply for a B.A (hons) Acting degree. Through our Acting Training Programme, as well as covering expenses, we work to develop skills and build confidence in our participants to apply to one of our current partner drama schools Guildhall School of Music and Drama, LAMDA, Royal Welsh College of Music, and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
The Open Door Acting Access Programme provides participants with:
*please note, the acting training is a series of training days led by the Open Door team and visiting tutors. Participants are expected to attend 80% of these sessions.
