A creative space for artist development.
Are you creative and want to expand your practice?
Applications for 2026 are now OPEN!
Since 2020, Lighthouse Poole has opened its doors as an artistic development space throughout the summer.
Sanctuary gives artists the space and time to dream, play, and create.
We encourage curiosity, inviting applicants to think big and outside the box.
The programme runs across our summer months, offering space for artists to develop new projects and nurture their creative practice.
Sanctuary offers:
· An inspiring space for artist development in either The Sherling Studio, Function Rooms, or Main Gallery
· Limited funding for travel, accommodation, and food
· Limited technical support
· The opportunity to be part of a creative community, share work and receive feedback
Who can apply?
· We encourage all artists from every art form to apply. This also includes visual arts, music and dance.
· Artists who demonstrate an interest and commitment to develop a new project.
· We will prioritise artists we have not worked with in the past as well as those from underrepresented backgrounds.
Applications close on Friday 27th February midday with decisions made by the end of March.
If you have any questions at all, please email nyah.boston-shears@lighthousepoole.co.uk.
Please note, you have to be 18+ to apply.
Under last year’s Sanctuary programme, we supported the following artists with space, expenses, and technical support:
– Aish Humphreys & Eryn McDonald, Amy Foskett / AmyFoskettDance, Angel Exit Theatre, Archie Rowell / OffPiste Theatre, Assembled Moments, Charles Furness, Charlotte East, Danny Stack & Tim Clague / Nelson Nutmeg Pictures Ltd, Ellen Oliver, Ellie Mitchell & Rose Dawson, Emilie Barton, Fireflies Entertainment, Gemma Alldred, Emily Thompson-Smith & Jack Grace, Laura S Elizabeth, Louise Jordan, Natasha Stanic Mann, Poppy Hardwicke & Lauren Mooney, Rohan Gotobed / Dorsetborn, SALTHOUSE ARTS, The Dot Collective, Thomas Pagett, Stuff & Nonsense, Sarah Acton, Emily Burridge & Adrian Cooper, Sarah-Louise Young
These workshops work in tandem with MQT's queer period drama 'GEORGE' at The Lowry, in which French author and independent spirit George Sand fights the norms of society of her time in a battle for self-expression, creativity, and representation. Participants will get a discount on tickets!
Who is this workshop for? People who identify as LGBTQIA+, looking for a safe creative space. No acting or theatre experience is needed - in fact, none is even better!
What does this workshop explore?
- How do you present yourself to the world? How do you think the world perceives you?
- How can theatre help you explore and express your identity?
- Can we free ourselves from language barriers to express our full, authentic selves?
- How can we use our bodies and creativity to reclaim our identity on our own terms?
This workshop invites participants to explore self-expression through drama, theatre-making and movement techniques in a safe and open environment. Using devising, team-building and improvisation tools, we will experiment with different ways to communicate and embody our identity - through spoken language, our native tongue, our bodies and beyond.
What to expect
🌿Warm up & breath work
🎭Drama & movement games
🖼Theatre exercises
Why this matters
In a world that constantly tells people how to act, how to love, or present themselves, this workshop creates space to reclaim self-trust, find new forms of expression and connect with community. Through these techniques, participants will leave with practical tools to warm up before a speech, shake off self-doubt, or silence their inner critic. These exercises are not just for the rehearsal room - they can be used anytime, anywhere, to reconnect with confidence and authenticity, and dare to be who we are - the way George Sand did. No theatre experience necessary, just an open mind!
"The workshop created a space where I felt truly seen and safe.
Thanks to Léa, I lost all self-consciousness when I had to improvise! "
Participant feedback (Alliance Française de Kharkiv)
A paid summer work and cultural exchange opportunity for creatives aged 18+.
Camp America offers a paid summer opportunity to live and work at an American summer camp for 9–12 weeks, with performing arts and creative roles available across camps in the USA. This is more than just work experience - it’s a chance to use your creative skills while living the full summer camp life!
Creatives from all backgrounds are placed in roles where they can teach, lead and inspire young people through acting, singing, dance, music, technical theatre and production, while also being part of a wider camp community. Alongside your role, you’ll take part in classic camp activities, build international friendships and experience everyday life in the USA. While we work with specialist theatre and performing arts camps, performing arts roles are available across many different camps, not just specialist ones.
This opportunity is ideal for those who:
Camps generally run from mid-Jun to mid-August – but this can vary by camp and location.
Your first steps towards a career in the creative industries could be taken at Lighthouse Poole as the busy arts centre, one of the largest in the country, invites applications from young people for their Young Producers course.
Lighthouse is recruiting two enthusiastic and driven Young Producers for its 2026 programme. A free-to-access work placement, the course will provide on-the-job experience of producing events as part of Poole Pride, as well as the Breakin’ Convention festival, and other events scheduled for the Spring season. Young Producers will receive regular one-to-one mentorship from the Creative Engagement team.
To apply for Young Producers:
Find out what Bath Theatre Academy is like at one of our upcoming open days at the Bath College City Centre campus.
Dates:
We also have limited spaces available for course-specific taster sessions:
A CPD opportunity for teachers to embed drama and creativity into their teaching, through working with a Bristol-based theatre company, Travelling Light.
Want to shake up your physics lesson but need some inspiration? Join Travelling Light on an exploration of how to incorporate more Drama into your classroom. Find out how a team of artists and teachers used arts-based learning to refresh their existing curriculum, whilst supporting pupil oracy, emotional literacy and wellbeing.
Key aims of the session:
Slots available in Bristol (8th Dec), Weston-Super-Mare (9th Dec) or Bath (11th Dec).
Please note, this is for teachers only.
