Now’s your opportunity to take your first steps into the captivating world of theatre!

Interested in exploring a career in technology and digital innovation?

LW Theatre are excited to launch a NEW Work Experience Programme with their Technology Team this summer, giving young people the chance to gain valuable insight into the technology that helps keep our theatres and business running behind the scenes.

Whether you're interested in IT support, systems, digital solutions, or technology careers more broadly, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn from industry professionals and discover where a career in tech could take you.

Please note that all placements are limited to those aged 16 and over.

Deadline for applications: 9am, Friday 17 July

Interviews: week commencing 20 July

Work Experience placement: 17 - 21 August

Successful students will be given an allowance to cover food and travel costs within the M25 for the duration of their work experience; we don’t want there to be any barriers to participation. If you are successful and need additional financial support to participate, we will review this on a case-by-case basis. If you have any questions about the opportunity, application, or allowances, please email outreach@lwtheatres.co.uk 

Inclusion

At LW Theatres, they pride themselves on being a family of individuals and actively welcome applicants from all backgrounds, experiences and skill sets – it’s one of their core values and they believe celebrating our differences is key to success.

At the heart of their Company is a culture of inclusion where everyone feels seen and heard and can be themselves at work. Regardless of your background, and even if you have not worked in theatre before, all they ask is that you have the skills and experience required and the desire to succeed.

We have a limited number of £7 tickets available for The Final Exam: Gao Kao at the Bridewell Theatre, London.

Tickets are available from 23 - 24 August at various times.

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What if the most important exam of your life became a battle you had to physically fight?

On the day of the Gaokao — China’s high-stakes university entrance examination — a student enters the exam hall expecting to prove her future. Instead, she finds herself fighting against her own examiners, each representing a different subject and a different definition of success.

Through physical theatre, stage combat, multimedia projection and storytelling, The Final Exam: Gao Kao explores the pressure to achieve, the expectations placed on young people, and the struggle to discover your own voice in a world full of “correct answers”.

Inspired by the experiences of students navigating intense educational systems, this powerful new production asks: When everything you have been taught tells you what to become, how do you decide who you really are?

A bold and emotional theatrical journey about ambition, identity and the courage to question.

Age Guidance: 12+

Running Time: 75 mins, 60 mins

Content/Production Warnings: This show contains depictions of suicide, stage combat with simulated physical violence, intense academic pressure.

Creative Steps funds the professional, business and organisational development of artists who have experienced barriers to careers within the arts.

Creative Steps for Individuals is for supporting career development, and NOT for creating new work or project delivery. For example, creating artwork to sell online would not be applicable but working with a mentor to develop your painting skills would be. 

We want artists to identify exactly what they need to progress and professionalise their artistic career, and to remain open to exploring different ways of doing this with our support. 

We recognise that everybody’s needs are different and that professional development varies from individual to individual. However, these are some of the things that your application could include:

When completing the budget, you should include the following:

We expect all applicants to pay freelancers the standard industry rates as a minimum. If people are providing their time in-kind, we would need to know why and have this confirmed in a letter of support from them. 

The Open Fund for Individuals is one of Creative Scotland’s key funding programmes, supporting the wide range of activity initiated by artists, writers, producers and other creative practitioners in Scotland. The overall annual budget for this fund is £5 million.

What the fund supports

The fund is intended to support periods of research, development and/or delivery of creative activity, such as specific projects and productions for up to 24 months. It can support an individual’s time where this is related to specific creative outcomes. 

We will ask you to tell us the start and end date for this activity and to describe the outcomes, benefits and impacts that you wish to achieve.

Eligibility

Freelance and self-employed artists and creative practitioners living in Scotland who are at least 18 years old are eligible to apply. You must have a UK bank account in your name.

If you are not a self-employed individual or a sole trader, you may be eligible for the National Lottery Open Fund for Organisations.

Please read the guidance for full information on eligibility.

Funding amounts

You can apply for between £500 and £50,000.

Timescales

As standard, if your application request is between £500 and £20,000 you will hear the outcome in 10 weeks. If your application request is between £20,001 and £50,000 you will hear the outcome in 14 weeks.

Please see above for details of our 25/26 Christmas closure and the effects it will have on our processing timelines.

Deaf Theatre Makers is delighted to offer 8 paid placement opportunities for deaf creatives across the UK. Working with our partner organisations, these placements are designed to provide hands on experience within professional theatre settings and help deaf people develop skills, confidence and industry connections.

Whether you are interested in producing, technical theatre, programming, creative development or exploring a career behind the scenes, this is an opportunity to learn directly from experienced theatre professionals.

what does the placement include? 


Successful applicants will receive: 

Placements do not need to take place over five consecutive days. Depending on the host organisation and your learning goals, activity may be spread across a project, production or period of time.

placement opportunities


→ london: riverside studios & royal ballet and opera

(shared placement across both organisations)

This placement offers an introduction to producing, programming and arts management across two very different cultural organisations. You will gain insight into how work is programmed, developed and delivered, while meeting staff from a range of departments.

areas of focus include:

timing: Flexible from August 2026 onwards.


→ birmingham: the rep

This placement can be tailored to your interests and career goals. Working with staff across the organisation, you will have the opportunity to explore the areas of theatre that interest you most.

potential areas of focus include:

timing: Flexible.


→ exeter: northcott theatre

This placement will be hands on and can be shaped around your interests and offers the opportunity to gain experience across a range of departments within a producing theatre, or to focus on one or two areas of interest if that is preferred. 

potential areas of focus include:

timing: Flexible.


→ sheffield: sheffield theatres

This placement is ideal for anyone interested in producing, technical theatre and the development of new work.

The placement will be linked to a festival taking place at Sheffield Theatres, offering the opportunity to observe and support activity during a busy period of theatre making.

areas of focus include:

timing: Applicants should be available for activity taking place between 28th September and 10th October 2026.

Mountview’s one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Stage and Production Management is designed for those looking to enter the profession with limited theatre experience, consolidate existing training, or progress to the next stage of their career.

The course particularly welcomes career-changers and graduates from a wide range of academic backgrounds who have developed an interest in stage and production management through university drama societies, amateur theatre, or other practical performance-making experiences. It is also well-suited to applicants who have already undertaken relevant training or built-up industry experience and are seeking further professional practice, a recognised postgraduate qualification, or the opportunity to strengthen and refine their skills within a conservatoire-style environment.

Students work in a fast‑paced, professional production setting, engaging with a broad range of productions while developing essential practical, creative, organisational and critical thinking skills. The programme balances hands-on production work with theoretical and professional development, preparing students for a sustainable career in the creative arts.

The Diploma offers a clear route to increased employability and professional progression. For those already working in the industry, it provides the opportunity to deepen expertise, expand professional networks, and move forward with confidence into more advanced roles.

COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY

This is a one-year full-time vocational course and is ideal for students who wish to develop their experience and skills in management, theatre production arts or technical theatre through practical work in professional theatre environments.

The course is delivered through:

The course is taught by Mountview’s resident team of tutors, alongside industry professionals who work alongside the students on productions. Previous guest tutors have included professionals from Punchdrunk, Hamilton, The Globe and National Theatre.

This 2-year, part-time MA is a creative and challenging exploration into the power of socially engaged arts. We aim to develop the next generation of cultural leaders and interdisciplinary theatre practitioners. Graduates will lead the way in providing meaningful, inclusive arts experiences that address social, political and educational issues in a broad range of settings.

The course offers a holistic programme that invites creative reflection on the power of storytelling for social transformation. Students address complex issues in critical and creative ways, considering the role of arts in education, migration and exile, health and building communities. You’ll engage with course learning through practical exploration, collaboration, group discussion, independent study and reflective practice. 

Delivered part-time, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds, including professionals working in youth, community and/or education settings as well as performers looking to develop and diversify their practice.

VISITING AND GUEST PRACTITIONERS

In addition to the core Mountview team, students work with visiting lecturers and practitioners from a range world-class organisations. These include Turtle Key ArtsPunchdrunk EnrichmentComplicitéClod EnsembleUnicorn TheatreClean BreakTheatre PeckhamCandoco Dance CompanyBrixton HouseWales Millenium CentreTate ModernGlasshouse Theatre and Access All Areas.

 Topics covered by visiting lecturers are varied and include:  

Students are supported to discover placements for their independent research projects based on their specific interests and emerging ideas and practice. Recent partnerships include Newham Children In Care Council, Little Fish Theatre Company and Tropical Pressure Festival, among others.

COURSE CONTENT AND DELIVERY

There is one day of in-person teaching each week, with one additional Friday and Saturday each term.

Throughout the course students develop skills in critical thinking, facilitating, devising, leading, producing, discussing and teaching creatively and imaginatively. Study involves workshops, lectures and seminars as well as independent collaborative and solo practice/research. Students are assigned weekly reading materials to digest course themes and engage in learning through independent study.

Reciprocal and collaborative learning is embedded into course practice. Students are provided with opportunities to design and lead practical workshops for one another, to bring topics for facilitated discussion with their Course Leader and to choose areas of focus for specific assessments, based on their interests and experiences.

Practical areas of study include collaborative and ensemble techniques, forum theatre, arts for wellbeing, devised theatre, inclusive and trauma informed practices, arts and money, decolonial feminist approaches, facilitating in multilingual and multifaith spaces, and ethics in artistic practice.

Students gain practical experience running workshops in schools, both in Peckham and further afield – previous locations include Spain and Nigeria.

Students engage in a wide range of texts such as Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal, Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks and Theatre for Living: The Art and Science of Community-Based Dialogue by David Diamond. 

Assessments are varied and include essays, talks, education packs, presentations, and workshop samples.

Overview

Weekly acting classes for LGBTQIA+ people at The Two Brewers, Clapham. Mondays: 6:30–10pm with award-winning theatre director, Andrew Keates

Queer Theatre invites you to join our weekly acting classes for LGBTQIA+ people, held every Monday from 7pm to 10m at the iconic queer venue, The Two Brewers in Clapham. Led by award-winning theatre director Andrew Keates, our classes welcome LGBTQIA+ people of all acting abilities, from seasoned professionals to enthusiastic beginners. What matters most to us, is building a queer community of performers in a place where we can play and grow together.

What To Expect:

Our acting classes serve as a queer theatre lab, a safe and creative space where LGBTQ+ theatre-makers can come together to:

Hone Acting and Performance Skills: Learn about performance styles and acting techniques.

Explore Through Play: Participate in creative improvisation games and exercises designed to foster self-discovery and collaborative play.

Delve into LGBTQ+ Material: Work with scripts, themes and devise work that reflects LGBTQIA+ people, experiences and themes.

Build a Supportive Network: Make friends and join a nurturing community that supports your artistic and personal growth.

Discover Opportunities: Gain access to Queer Theatre's array of events, such as our Queer Play Reading Club, Queer Variety Night, trips, social events and networking opportunities.

Industry Showcase: We dedicate several months a year to preparing our acting class students to perform in our OutCast showcases of queer actors and writing. We invite friends, loved ones and people from the performing arts industry such as agents and casting directors to see our work and many have received agent representation and professional opportunities as actors and writers.

Every year, Mountview awards a range of scholarships and bursaries to support students with the costs of study, made possible thanks to generous individuals, trusts and foundations. 

Scholarships are awarded on the basis of talent, potential and financial need and designed to ensure that cost is not a barrier to study. 

In 25/26, 1 in 3 students received a scholarship with the average award being £3,250.

We usually receive far more applications for scholarship funding than we have available, so we encourage you to seek other funding opportunities as well and will provide support and guidance to do so.

Find out more about Funding and Scholarships at Mountview.

Mountview is currently the only UK drama school to offer DirectingDramatic Writing and Producing as three distinct, specialised pathways within a single, unified Creative Practice MA framework. The course is designed for multi-hyphenate practitioners who are excited by collaboration and meeting the demands of the twenty-first century creative industries. 

By bringing directors, writers and producers into one ecosystem, the course mirrors the professional world by fostering creative partnerships through shared engagement with modes of collaboration, creative enterprise, dramatic structures and critical contexts. 

Students on the Dramatic Writing pathway develop an in-depth knowledge of dramatic structures and the core competencies for writing across different forms and styles. The course develops an understanding and critical awareness of current practice through engagement with industry practitioners and academics. You will be mentored by award-winning playwright Roy Williams OBE (Death of England National Theatre, Sucker Punch Royal Court), who oversees aspects of the course as Distinguished Visiting Artist.  

The course concludes with the opportunity to put your learning into practice through the staging of a public facing, fully-realised festival of new work. VIEW Festival allows students to develop their pathway specific skills while also collaborating closely with the Producing, Directing and Performance students. 

Our MA Creative Practice graduates leave with an established network of industry contacts and prepared for high-impact careers as Playwrights, Screenwriters, Dramaturgs, Directors, Creative Leaders, Theatre Makers, Artistic Directors, Commercial and Independent Producers and Venue Leaders.

STAFF AND PRACTITIONERS

The Creative Practice teaching team is led by Hamish Pirie and Dawn Ingleson as Joint Course Leaders, alongside Roy Williams as Distinguished Visiting Artist. Dawn worked extensively at the National Theatre as a creative producer and has also taught at LSBU, while Hamish’s directing credits include work at the Royal Court, Donmar Warehouse, Paines Plough and Traverse Theatre. Roy is a multi-award winning writer whose credits include Death of England: The Plays (National Theatre), The Lonely Londoners (Kiln and Jermyn Street Theatre) and Sucker Punch (Royal Court, Olivier Award nomination). 

In addition to working alongside the core teaching team, MA Creative Practice students also benefit from industry masterclasses specific to their pathway, led by the world’s most prestigious creative powerhouses. Recent MA Creative Practice sessions have featured: 

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