We are a fearless collective of disabled and non-disabled musicians: a platform that pushes the boundaries of music-making to create art with passion and purpose.
With a diverse ensemble led by the remarkable vision of our artistic director Charles Hazlewood, our performances are a fusion of emotion, innovation, and intrepid artistry. Behind the scenes, we focus on developing careers, building confidence, and fostering collaboration to inspire a fierce ambition and excellence that matches our artistic programme.
About Play with Paraorchestra
Play with Paraorchestra is an opportunity for young musicians, who identify as disabled, have special educational needs, or have access requirements to experience playing on a Paraorchestra project. Over the course of a two-day workshop in October 2026 a small group of young musicians will explore a range of musical styles, with a blend of acoustic and electronic sound worlds, working alongside professional Paraorchestra musicians.
Play with Paraorchestra is a creatively ambitious project for young musicians. It offers the same exciting, collaborative, person-centred way of working as on all Paraorchestra shows, this time for young musicians aged 12 - 17 who are considering a career in music.
All participants on the project must attend with a parent, guardian or carer.
Are you, or is someone you know, a talented, adventurous young musician who wants to experience playing with Paraorchestra? We are looking for six young musicians who either identify as disabled, have special educational needs, or access requirements, and can thrive working in a collaborative environment. They must demonstrate a creative spark, a passion and commitment to playing live music.
You don’t need to formally identify as disabled, for example you might be Deaf or have a hearing impairment, or you might be Autistic or be neurodivergent. At Paraorchestra we don’t work with musicians on the basis of a formal diagnosis, we use the Social Model of Disability to guide our work.
If you are a musician aged 12 - 17, considering a career in the music sector, who has access requirements or works best in an environment with additional support in place then Play with Paraorchestra is for you.
Young musicians applying for this opportunity should be playing at a Grade 5 standard (or equivalent) in musical ability, theoretical understanding, and technical capability. Participants do not need to have achieved a formal Grade 5 qualification to apply for Play with Paraorchestra. We are using the Grade 5 level of musicianship as a guide for young musicians to emphasise the level of musical skill we are looking for from the participants taking part in this project.
Play with Paraorchestra is our version of a ‘side-by-side’ project, where participants will have the opportunity to sit next to professional Paraorchestra musicians and work through set repertoire in a workshop format. The activity itself will be led by Paraorchestra Assistant Music Directors Siobhan Clough and Rylan Gleave. Paraorchestra Artistic Director Charles Hazlewood will lead a session during the two days. The project will culminate in a sharing on the second day for a small invited audience.
This will be an opportunity for young musicians to experience Paraorchestra’s creatively ambitious work and person-centred approach to access, exploring new commissions alongside pre-existing repertoire. The chosen pieces will be arranged in an open score format, meaning that whatever instrument you might play, whether that be an acoustic orchestral instrument or a more modern electronic instrument, there will be a part that works for you and the level that you are playing at.
Over the course of the two days, we will explore a commission written by Liam Taylor-West, a reimagined version of Straylight by Rylan Gleave (first performed by Paraorchestra during The Anatomy of the Orchestra - Drone Refractions, 2024) and some warm up pieces from the CoMA open score repertoire list. All parts will range in difficulty, with some parts being easier to play than others. Part selection and distribution will be made by our Assistant Music Directors to suit the musicians selected with their instrument and musical capabilities in mind.
Successful candidates invited to take part in Play with Paraorchestra will be asked to:
During the Play with Paraorchestra in-person workshops each day will involve:
To apply to take part in Play with Paraorchestra you will need to complete a short application form. This can either be typed or answered with recorded or filmed responses. The application form questions are listed below so you can plan your answers. Each answer has a suggested word limit of 300 words or 2.5 minutes speaking time.
The Play with Paraorchestra application form can be found here.
If you are applying with a video application, please fill out your main details on the application form (https://forms.gle/hVmrJA2SSKrdyiddA) and include a link to your video application in the space provided.
You can share your video in any of the following ways:
We will then shortlist the applications and invite a small number of young musicians to take part in Play with Paraorchestra with us.
Please note the capacity for participants on this project is small, six young musicians, this is to ensure we can deliver this creatively ambitious project with the level of access and person-centred support that is central to our way of working on all Paraorchestra projects. We anticipate we will get more applications that we have spaces for and so unfortunately not everyone who applies will be offered a place on the project. We recognise this can be disheartening, but where possible we will try and provide some feedback on applications and signpost you to alternative opportunities for young musicians.
For years, the idea of “making it” in theatre has followed a familiar script: go to university or attend drama school, earn a degree and then maybe you’ll land a job.
But that’s only one version of the story.
The truth is, theatre has never had a single entry route. Many people build careers through practical experience, training on the job, and creating their own opportunities, and crucially, this doesn’t just happen in London.
Apprenticeships are one of the most accessible and structured ways to begin a career in theatre. They combine paid work with hands-on training, allowing you to learn directly from industry professionals.
Major organisations like the National Theatre, the Royal Ballet and Opera, and the Royal Shakespeare Company offer established apprenticeship schemes in areas such as technical theatre, stage management, and costume.
Outside of London, opportunities are just as valuable. Theatr Clwyd and Leeds Playhouse, for example, run programmes that focus on developing local talent and opening doors into the industry.
Apprenticeships offer:
Paid internships in theatre do exist, but they can be harder to find and are often highly competitive. They’re usually offered through specific programmes rather than widely advertised roles.
Masterclass, the Birmingham Hippodrome and Creative Access, for instance, partner with producers and theatres to provide internships that give insight into how the industry operates behind the scenes.
While not as accessible as apprenticeships, internships can still:
Not everyone wants, or needs, to commit to full-time training. Short courses offer a flexible way to develop your skills, whether that’s acting, directing, writing, or technical theatre.
Institutions like the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama offer part-time courses, but similar opportunities can often be found at regional theatres and arts centres across the UK.
These courses allow you to:
It’s easy to think of theatre as London-centric, but the UK has a rich network of regional venues creating high-quality work and supporting emerging talent.
Organisations like the Bristol Old Vic, Royal Exchange Theatre, Northern Stage, Birmingham Hippodrome, and the National Theatre of Scotland all offer development programmes, workshops, and early-career opportunities.
Starting outside London can often mean:
One of the most powerful ways into theatre is to stop waiting for permission.
Write a play. Organise a scratch night. Collaborate with other creatives. Platforms like the Edinburgh Festival Fringe have launched countless careers built on self-created work.
Creating your own opportunities shows initiative and gives you something tangible to build on.
There’s no single way into theatre, and that’s what makes it such an exciting industry to be part of. Whether you choose an apprenticeship, apply for internships, take short courses, or start creating your own work, each path offers something different.
What matters is finding the route that works for you, your circumstances, your interests, and the way you learn best. Theatre needs a range of voices and experiences, and there’s space for more than one way in.
There isn't one fixed pathway. Find the route that suits you, and start there.
With school holidays offering many young people the opportunity to take part in creative activities, it’s often a time when interests grow, and future ambitions begin to take shape.
Whether a young person is already engaged in the arts or just starting to explore, there are many different pathways into a career in the creative industries. However, for many families, these routes can feel unclear or uncertain.
Recent research from Netflix and the National Youth Theatre found that 89% of parents from working-class backgrounds would be unlikely to encourage their child to pursue a career in the creative industries. Building understanding and confidence among parents and carers is an important step in helping more young people feel supported in exploring these opportunities.
Parents Unscripted is a new series from Discover! Creative Careers, created in collaboration with organisations across the creative industries. The series shares the perspectives of parents whose children now work in the sector, offering honest reflections on their journeys.
We’re proud to have collaborated on one of the films in the series, developed alongside Discover! Creative Careers and the National Theatre. In this film, Angela Jumbo, mother of actor and playwright Cush Jumbo, reflects on her child’s journey into the industry and shares her perspective as a parent.
You can watch the other films in the series here!
We know that when parents and carers feel more confident about creative careers, it can make a real difference to a young person’s ability to pursue them.
By sharing these stories, Parents Unscripted aims to open up conversations, challenge misconceptions, and highlight the many routes available across the creative industries.
We encourage teachers, industry professionals and partners to share these films with their networks, whether through newsletters, social media, or conversations with young people and their families.
Helping more families understand the opportunities available in the creative industries is a vital step in supporting the next generation of talent.
Find out more about Discover! Creative Careers here.
Find out more about the National Theatre Skills Centre here.
Script in hand performances of work from writers based across Dorset. Our regular evenings of 3-4 extracts from scripts currently in development, performed for the first time in our Sherling Studio.
You can expect drama, comedy, experimentation, suspense, emotion and invention – though not necessarily all in the same script.
After the pieces have been performed, there is an opportunity to give feedback to the writers and have a drink. Presented in association with Dorset Scriptwriters. Lighthouse are always on the hunt for new material. If you have a piece that you would like to put forward, please get in touch.
Free training opportunity for South West based performing arts practitioners
Over the past couple of years we have been working with brilliant artists and companies to provide quality training for creative practitioners in the South West.
Next up we are joined by Open Theatre – a physical theatre company who specialise in working with young people with learning disabilities.
This training session will involve a practical exploration of the key elements of their unique non-verbal physical theatre practice developed over the last 25 years. The practice is used as both a theatre-making process, developing performance work on the borderlines of theatre, dance and mime, and as an educational tool with special schools that supports young people with learning disabilities to discover their capabilities.
This session is perfect for artists and practitioners who want to extend and adapt their practice to be more inclusive of young people with learning disabilities and to enrich and extend the ways in which we create theatre, opening up new ways of creating and discovering capabilities for all.
The session will be practical – sometimes challenging – asking us all to connect in unfamiliar ways, but above all are great fun! The atmosphere created by the practice is authentic, playful, and joyful – within a space that feels free, safe, non-judgemental, and alive with possibility.
The session is FREE but booking is essential as there are only 12 places available.
Travel bursaries for South West practitioners are available through application, contact Charlene@strikealight.org.uk
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.
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:
