Are you interested in exploring set and costume design for the stage? Are you aged between 16 and 19? Then our free seven-week course Introduction to Stage Design could be for you!
In weekly sessions you will:
The course will culminate in an exhibition opening in our Wolfson Gallery at the National Theatre on 7 April 2026 (time to be confirmed). The exhibition will be open to the general public from Wednesday 8 April to June 2026.
The course is free to take part in and takes place at the National Theatre, on London’s South Bank. Access support and travel bursaries are available to those in the Greater London area.
Who is this course for?
This course is not suitable for anyone who is currently enrolled on or who has completed an art foundation or undergraduate art degree.
We are committed to diversity and access by prioritising engaging young people that we recognise are currently underrepresented in stage design:
Applications for SYC 2026 are now open!
Storyhouse Young Company (SYC) is a FREE acting training programme for 18–25-year-olds who are interested in performing.
SYC is a 2-phased programme offering 16 weekly training sessions of practical workshop and masterclasses with professional artists. Followed by an intensive 4 week rehearsal and production period with a leading professional director.
SYC is designed to give you the opportunity to develop your theatre and performance skills. You will be supported by a team of professional artists with a wealth of experience in the industry to make a show to be presented in our theatre spaces.
When do sessions happen?
The programme will start in January 2026 with weekly training sessions every Tuesday evening. The 4-Week Rehearsal phase will begin in May with rehearsals happening every night (Monday-Friday).
Do I need to have experience?
You do not need to have experience to apply. SYC is a training programme and an opportunity to gain performance skills and experience.
How many people do you recruit to SYC?
We recruit between 13-16 young people per year to join SYC.
Application Process
Auditions will be on Monday 15 & Tuesday 16 December 2025.
Are you curious about how theatre really works behind the scenes? Interested in lighting, sound, video and automation? Are you aged between 14 and 18? Then our free technical theatre programme could be for you!
Nationwide Young Technicians offers an exciting opportunity to:
You do not need theatre or technical experience to join our Nationwide Young Technicians programme, just be curious about what goes on behind the scenes.
In weekly online Zoom workshops you will be introduced to the basics of technical theatre through demonstrations and practical activities.
This project is free to take part in.and runs on Tuesday evenings, 5pm - 8pm from Tuesday 13 January 2026 to Tuesday 24 March 2026. In order to apply you must be able to attend all of the sessions.
Who is this course for?
We are committed to diversity and access by prioritising engaging young people that we recognise are currently underrepresented in technical theatre:
There are up to 50 places available on the course, priority will be given to those who show a passion for theatre and interest in backstage, especially those that identify with any of the underrepresented groups in the industry.
Are you aged 21-25? Do you live, work or study in Lambeth or Southwark? Are you interested in leadership within the Theatre industry?
If this sounds like something you are interested in, the application form to join our Artistic Leadership Lab is now LIVE!
This five-week programme is designed for young people aged 21-25 who are passionate about theatre and keen to develop as future leaders. Focusing on leadership in the arts, participants will explore the core skills required to lead effectively, discover their own strengths and leadership style, and learn how to communicate and deliver a creative vision. Participants will gain practical insight into the steps involved in turning artistic ideas into reality whilst receiving 1-1 mentoring and the opportunity to pitch an idea to industry professionals.
On our programme you will:
Please see below the key dates to take part in this programme:
Wednesday 14th January 2026 – 18:00-20:30
Wednesday 21st January 2026 – 18:00-20:30
Wednesday 28th January 2026 – 11:00-16:00
Wednesday 4th February 2026 – 18:00-20:30
Wednesday 11th February 2026 – 11:00-16:00A travel bursary is available for this programme.
Creating Routes is back for 2025, with over a decade of proven success giving Global Majority* facilitators the tools they need to be effective in their chosen path.
Creating Routes is a FREE, practical, facilitator training programme for Global Majority* theatre makers, aged 18+.
Our aim is to provide an alternative route into entering the sector, one that strikes a balance between the practical and the theoretical. Creating Routes trainees get the opportunity to develop the knowledge, skills and experience needed to gain employment in Participatory Arts sector.
Creating Routes Alumni have gone on to work with: Talawa, EEA, London Bubble Theatre Company, Young Vic, Birmingham REP, Imperial War Museum, Theatre Royal Stratford East, and Battersea Arts Centre.
We actively welcome applicants who identify as LGBTQ+, Disabled and people living in the boroughs of Croydon and Greenwich.
This programme is a collaboration between Talawa Theatre Company, Emergency Exit Arts (EEA) and Goldsmiths, University of London. As a collective we have come together to help to diversify the participatory arts sector with artists from different cultural backgrounds.
Applications to apply open on 27 October 2025 and close on 24 November 2025 at 10am. Please review the information pack and complete the application form linked below.
*People who identify as Black Caribbean, Black African, South Asian, East Asian, Middle Eastern or Latine
Sustaining a freelance career in the creative industries means more than just talent, it’s about knowing how to navigate an ever-changing sector, where to find opportunities, and how to turn ideas into income. That’s where our fully funded Skills Bootcamp comes in.
Over several weeks, you’ll gain the insight, confidence, and practical tools to strengthen your business foundations and build a more resilient freelance practice. Designed specifically for creative freelancers, this programme helps you develop the skills, mindset, and strategies to thrive, not just survive.
Key Information:
Dates: Monday 12th Jan, Wednesdays 21st - 11th Feb, then half term break followed by Wednesday 25th Feb - 18th March
Duration: 1 day a week for 9 weeks, 10am to 5pm (with breaks)
Venue: Central Bristol, TBC
Full Fee: Free
Level: Level 4
A free introduction to playwriting course, led by nationally-renowned writer, Tom Wells, for first-time playwrights or those new to the idea of playwriting.
Learn how to write a play from scratch with the Middle Child Writers’ Group, an annual programme with a track record of turning aspiring theatre makers into commissioned playwrights.
You don’t need to have written anything before, you just need to have a few good stories to tell – funny stories, sad stories, tough stories, tender stories – stories we’re eager to see on Hull stages.
How it works
Selected writers take part in a series of five weekly workshops at our new theatre on Humber Street, focused around finding your voice as a playwright.
You will then begin work on a short scene, in your own time, which will receive feedback from Tom Wells and Middle Child literary manager, Matthew May.
These will then be performed in public by professional actors, script-in-hand, at Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival 2026.
Who can apply
This group is for first-time playwrights or those very new to playwriting.
It is open to any individual who is:
A writing group for working class people in Hull and East Yorkshire who want to explore politics, class and community through theatre.
You can be a seasoned writer or have never written anything before - just bring your unique experience and a few stories worth sharing.
How it works
Selected participants will join five weekly reading group sessions at Middle Child’s new Humber Street home, reading and discussing powerful plays by working class writers.
You’ll then take part in five writing workshops, led by five of the country’s leading working class playwrights, offering tools and tips towards developing your own short plays.
The reading group will be facilitated by Middle Child literary manager Matthew May and artistic director Paul Smith, while the writing workshops will be delivered by different writers and hosted together by working class theatre-maker, Rabbey.
Participants will then work on a short scene, with the support of Matthew May, to be performed by professional actors as part of Fresh Ink 2026, our annual playwriting festival in Hull.
Who can apply?
This group is for working class writers of any experience level who wish to explore writing about class.
It is open to any individual who:
A free introduction to playwriting programme for 16–25 year olds from Hull and East Yorkshire.
Thanks to support from the I Am Fund, Middle Child is able to launch No Dress Code: a new programme to increase access to theatre for 16–25 year olds in our region.
This includes a free introduction to playwriting short course, taking place across the February half-term break, led by renowned playwright Lydia Marchant (Mumsy, Eastenders, British Scandal).
Over the course of four days, Lydia will share her writing expertise through practical sessions to learn new playwriting skills, find your voice and write your first ever play, to be performed by professional actors.
These pieces will then be featured at Fresh Ink: Hull Playwriting Festival 2026, amongst our wider programme of new plays.
Who can apply?
This free programme is open to any 16–25 year old with a HU postcode.
This course is a perfect introduction to professional playwriting for young people with an interest in theatre, and how plays are made, from first idea to final performance.
Clean Break’s Creative Facilitation training focuses on using theatre practices to safely bring creativity into women only groups and spaces.
Participants will gain the tools they need to deliver theatre workshops with people who have experienced trauma, or to bring creative interventions to their group work or 1-to-1 sessions with clients.
Clean Break’s Creative Facilitation training focuses on using theatre practices to safely bring creativity into women only groups and spaces.
Participants will gain the tools they need to deliver theatre workshops with people who have experienced trauma, or to bring creative interventions to their group work or 1-to-1 sessions with clients.
This one-day training is for anyone who works with, or is interested in working with people in challenging or vulnerable circumstances, and wants to safely bring creativity into their practice. You could be a groupworker, facilitator, theatre maker, or frontline practitioner of any kind.
Through a mixture of interactive exercises, group work and discussion, our Creative Facilitation training provides participants with the space to build their confidence as facilitators and develop a rich toolkit to improve their practice. This session covers:
For over four decades, Clean Break has been working creatively with women with lived experience of the criminal justice system or who are at risk of entering it. The only organisation of its kind, we use tools from the world of theatre to help women build confidence, self-esteem and gain new skills.
Our work in the theatre, criminal justice and women’s sectors gives us a valuable and unique perspective on the power creativity holds to change lives, when practiced safely by trained facilitators.
