Guildhall School of Music & Drama’s Backstage Roadshow will take a series of FREE backstage skills workshops directly into UK state schools, introducing children and young people to the variety of creative pathways and career opportunities that exist within theatre, live events, television and film.
Led by industry professionals and designed by the School’s Production Arts staff, the Backstage Roadshow will take professional equipment into schools to provide a crucial insight into one of the UK’s fastest growing sectors and inspire young people to train and work in the creative industries.
Our team will also be offering full technical support to two primary school productions each year, bringing our lighting, sound, and stage management equipment, along with staff to help run your show.
How it works
The Backstage Roadshow will run for the Academic Years of 2024/25 and 2025/26, with support offered for one Primary School production in December and one in June or July.
What do we bring to your school?
For workshops, please complete your expression of interest via this form.
Shortlisted schools will be contacted for an online meeting to discuss the options, prior to a site-visit being arranged ahead of any firm offer for the Backstage Roadshow to visit.
Primary schools, please register here.
Join one of RADA’s upcoming Open Days for an inside look at our Foundation Degree in Technical Theatre and Stage Management.
You’ll have the opportunity to meet our students and staff, explore our training spaces, visit technical departments, and find out more about life at RADA including funding, student support, and career pathways.
Open Days 2025-2026:
At RADA, we enable exceptional technicians, managers, designers and makers to thrive through world-leading, industry-focused training that blends hands-on experience with professional practice.
Whether you’re exploring lighting, sound, props, scenic art, or stage management, our open days are the perfect chance to discover how RADA can help you become a highly skilled and creative theatre-maker.
12 weeks of workshops covering basic acting techniques, scene study, auditioning/ self-taping, career development and more, taught by working industry professionals!
This is an online acting course for beginner/intermediate level actors.
The actors in the course will have the opportunity to learn from working and professional actors, agents, directors and casting directors from London and Hollywood. The curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive overview of the industry, including acting techniques/casting sessions, scene study, auditioning and self-taping, voice work (covering accents and voice techniques) and career development. The course is suitable for international students as it will be conducted online via Zoom.
At the end of the course, students will have gained a solid foundation in acting techniques, an understanding of the industry, and the skills and confidence needed to pursue a career in acting. Additionally, students will finish the course with an online showcase to industry guests – directors/agents/casting Directors and producers including agency RS talent and film producer Alex Fidelski.
Students will receive access to our online Actors Gym Membership, where they can practice their craft in between classes online (at home) develop their self-tape technique and complete the self-tape course and then upload practice self-tapes, and network with other actors and industry professionals.
Quick-fire scratch nights for adventurous new writing in theatre and performance! The Scrap is an open-access night for writers, actors and directors to try out new ideas, meet one another, and showcase their work in front of an audience. Live music, good drinks, and cool new theatre.
Here we're looking for companies or ensembles to present a short work or excerpt from a piece they've been developing independently - usually about 25 minutes, max 30. These would be pieces that already have a team attached, and which have undergone development, rehearsal, and more thorough preparation. We usually programme one or two scratches per Scrap.
We're looking for work (or an excerpt) that is 20 - 30 minutes in length, that has a team already attached, and has undergone some previous workshopping (but which hasn't received a full-scale production).
We try to place no strictures on form, content, genre, team or style for our scratches: absolute minimal gatekeeping. All we ask is that you be adventurous and try something new!
Lewisham Youth Theatre is now recruiting for our annual Facilitator Training Programme, a free, hands-on training and employment opportunity for young adults aged 18–25 based in South London who are interested in youth work, creative facilitation, and making a positive impact in their community.
Trainee Facilitator's will:
- Get 12 days of FREE training across 3 weeks
- Develop practical facilitation skills, knowledge and confidence working with young people
- Gain an accredited facilitation qualification
- Receive mentoring and support with your career progression
- Get paid work experience delivering drama workshops in schools
- Join our freelancer pool and get access to ongoing paid opportunities with LYT
We're looking for people who are:
- Aged 18-25
- Living in or local to Lewisham
- Not currently in education, employment, or training
- From under represented groups in the arts (e.g. working class, global majority, neurodivergent, LGBTQIA+)
- Receiving Universal credit (UC) and Job seekers allowance (JSA)
Stretch your creative muscles and split in groups, collaboratively (and friendly competitively) work on devising and adapting ideas from stimulus such as articles, published literature, sound and photography, culminating in a sharing at the end of the session. Led by Artistic Directors of StageBase, Eleanor Willis and Gabriela Chanova
Based in London; Moya Jane Studios E9 6ND
Session time from 7pm-9pm on November 4th
More sessions every Tuesday 7-9pm until the 9th of December and get all 6 sessions for £46 with the link below!
Self-Care Workshops for Individual Artists. Artists can sign up for a maximum of 2 workshops – we will be running a waiting list.
This seminar is led and designed by Dr Annette Clancy for artists navigating the highs and lows of a professional career exploring how creative practitioners can work with disappointment to build long-term resilience.
Morning Session - Start time 10am. Finish time 12pm.
Afternoon Session - Start time 1pm. Finish time 3pm.
Tea / coffee provided at registration.
Number of places at each session - 24.
Polka’s Catapult Programme consists of two seed funding strands, which are designed to platform underrepresented Artists and to help bring brand new ideas and concepts to life. Both programmes are open to Artists at any stage of their career, and from any creative discipline.
The TYA sector is currently significantly underrepresented with work from artists from the Global Majority, who identify as disabled, LGBTQ+, or who come from a lower socio-economic background. There is also a real need to identify brand new stories for children – those not adapted from books, tv shows or films or western fairy tales. We are looking for artists who can address these gaps, with the very best innovative new ideas for children’s theatre.
First Steps: For brand new ideas for audiences of 0-6 years
Next Steps: For taking that first draft or second R&D to the next stage for audiences of 0-12 years
Both strands offer mentoring, training, free rehearsal space, scratch performance opportunities and tickets to Polka productions.
‘Creative Wellbeing’ – the title seems self-explanatory, but when does it get taught? Talked about? Not only will this workshop examine ways in which we can nurture our stress as artists, but will also look at how to identify and advocate for your boundaries - both in process and practice. What comes after you’ve said “no”? How does creative risk continue? You will be practically exploring exactly that. Other topics may include neurodiversity, burnout and supporting others. Creative Wellbeing aims to give young people aged 14-21 the language and confidence to create theatre healthily, honestly and unbound.
