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?

• One lead facilitator and one workshop assistant to run each session. 
• Workshops designed for up to eight students per session, lasting 2-3 hours.
• For multiple workshops, one Project Manager to co-ordinate our staff.
• All equipment needed for each session.
• Transport of equipment to and from your venue.
• All of our staff complete an Enhanced DBS check.
• Public Liability, Employers Liability, and Professional Indemnity Insurance of up to £10,000,000.
• Full risk assessments for all activities (supplied upon request).

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.

British American Drama Academy (BADA)

Bold Theatre

London Musical Theatre Orchestra

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!

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!

Collective Acting Studio