Royal Court Theatre are looking to work with early-career directors with a background in directing and/or facilitating, with particular interest in directing new writing and developing their wider skills and abilities towards future freelance careers and artistic leadership roles. The Royal Court Trainee Director scheme has had an impressive history supporting the next generation of brilliant directors and artistic leaders, with alumni including Rufus Norris, Roy Alexander Weise, Lyndsey Turner and Milli Bhatia. We can’t wait to see who’s next.

They are currently hiring two Trainee Directors with a six month shared overlap. One position will start in January 2027; the second in June 2027; each for one year.

The successful candidate will have:

• A minimum of two credits as director, associate director or assistant director all within a professional context.
• Experience of working on a show with a run of over one week, including noting a show during the course of a performance run.
• Experience of working with writers and/or in new writing, and an understanding of the challenges and opportunities around presenting and developing new plays.

This eight-week course will develop your creative writing skills and provide you with the confidence to bring an idea for theatre to life through an active, practical approach that brings writers into collaborative exploration.

Open to anyone aged 18 and over with enthusiasm and an idea to explore whether you're a complete beginner or returning to creative writing, this course welcomes those interested in writing plays, screen projects, poetry, spoken word or performance art. 

You'll develop writing techniques through practical exercises and improvisation, gain a solid understanding of structure, form and character development, and work towards a completed piece of writing by the end of the course. Optional homework (about one hour per week) is recommended to gain the most from the course, and attendance of all eight sessions is encouraged to support your progression and the benefit of the group. You'll have the opportunity to hear your writing performed by actors in the final weeks.

This opportunity will run for eight-weeks, starting 01/10/2026, on Thursdays 7.30pm - 9.30pm

Lighting Esesntials is an in-person training event from ETC, a leading manufacturer of professional lighting control systems, fixtures, networking solutions, and rigging technology for the entertainment industry. Designed for anyone who is passionate about working in lighting and lighting design, or who wants to learn more about the art and craft of stage lighting, this course provides an accessible introduction to the industry.

Whether you are new to the industry or just curious about what the ‘lampies’ actually do, this session is for you.

We cover a broad range of topics including stage lighting principles, fundamentals of design, colour theory, lighting fixtures and much more. There is also the opportunity to get hands-on with ETC's latest products.

A free digital resource celebrating the work of William Shakespeare, developed to bring audiences into direct contact with Shakespeare's language in an immediate and engaging way for students, teachers, actors and anyone with an interest in the plays.

Whether used in the classroom, for exam preparation, independent study or simply to inspire a love of Shakespeare, the library offers a fresh way to engage with these extraordinary works.

The library is available to access online free of charge.

Ready to build your skills and take the next step in your career?

ETC is a leading manufacturer of professional lighting control systems, fixtures, networking solutions, and rigging technology for the entertainment industry. Whether you're just starting out in stage lighting, looking to develop your Eos or Hog console programming skills, or wanting to gain a better understanding of entertainment networking and show control, our hands-on training courses are designed to help you grow with confidence.

Led by ETC's experienced Training and Outreach team, our sessions combine practical learning with real-world workflows and access to the latest technology. We also offer bespoke training programmes for venues, production companies, education providers, and larger teams.

Visit our website to explore upcoming course dates, find the right training for your experience level, and book your place. Training courses are held regularly at our London office, with additional sessions at other locations across the UK offered throughout the year.

ETC’s Eos family of lighting consoles delivers powerful and flexible control for theatre, live events, broadcast, and production environments. Eos Essentials is a free, two-day introductory training course designed to build a strong foundation in programming for the Eos platform.

This hands-on session covers core and advanced features, helping you develop practical programming skills and confidence across the full Eos family, including ETCnomad, Element, Element 2, Ion, Ion Xe, Gio @5, Gio, Eos Ti, and Apex.

Training courses are held regularly at our London office, with additional sessions offered at locations across the UK throughout the year.

Sessions are available on various dates from 27/07/2026 - 25/09/2026.

DATUM

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ETC

With more than 50 years of innovation in lighting and rigging technology, ETC has a strong foundation in theatre, where precision, reliability, and storytelling have always been essential. That heritage continues to shape our approach today, from consoles and a wide range of lighting control and fixture solutions to power control and rigging systems designed for demanding productions.

As the industry has evolved, so have we – with ETC technology increasingly powering live events including concerts, festivals, touring productions, and immersive experiences, where speed, scale, and flexibility are key. Our latest innovations bring modern efficiency to trusted tools, helping designers and operators deliver consistent, creative results across any environment.

ETC’s product portfolio includes industry-leading lighting control and fixtures used across theatre and live events. This includes the Eos lighting control platform family of consoles, widely used in theatre, broadcast, and live production environments, alongside the Hog lighting control system platform, a long-established choice for touring and concert production. Our iconic Source Four remains a benchmark in stage lighting, alongside a growing range of automated fixtures from High End Systems designed for dynamic, high-impact live environments and installations.

ETC supports users with a wide range of training and education resources for all experience levels. This includes free entry-level console training for both Eos and Hog lighting control systems in the UK, alongside courses such as Lighting Essentials and network training, covering both foundational principles and more advanced system and infrastructure topics. ETC also provides extensive online learning resources, tutorials, and documentation for self-paced development.

We develop professional tools and make them accessible to everyone. Our products are found in venues and events of all sizes, including theatres, concerts, festivals, churches, restaurants, hotels, schools, television studios, casinos, theme parks, and opera houses.

Headquartered in Wisconsin, USA, ETC operates through 15 corporate offices worldwide, including a key office in London supporting customers across the UK and beyond. ETC is known for its technical expertise and customer support, available 24/7/365. With a global network of over 300 authorised service centres and hundreds of certified technicians, support is always close at hand.

To learn more about ETC, visit etcconnect.com.