Clear your schedule, and sound the alarms, TheatreCraft is back bigger and better than before! This autumn, ready yourself to get stuck in at the UK’s largest FREE off-stage theatre careers event. TheatreCraft will be taking over the Royal Opera House and venues across the West End on Friday 6th November 2026.

Whether you’re dreaming of a career in theatre and don’t know where to start, or you’re an experienced professional wanting to expand your skills and your network, TheatreCraft is the event for you!

What to Expect at TheatreCraft 2026

At TheatreCraft you will have the chance to:

Discover the World of Off-Stage Roles

Theatre is more than just what happens on stage, and TheatreCraft is here to highlight the many vital roles that bring a production to life. On the day, you can explore careers in:

Whether you want to pursue a technical career, or a creative role is calling your name, there’s something for everyone at TheatreCraft!

Don’t Miss Out - Tickets Released Soon!

Mark your calendars, booking for TheatreCraft is open on the 19th October! Stay tuned and sign up to our newsletter (if you haven’t already) to be kept up to date with all things TheatreCraft. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to learn, network and find your place in the world of theatre!

Get ready to step beyond the curtain and discover the magic that makes theatre happen. We can’t wait to see you there!

Gain practical insights into the business of theatre through this series of digestible digital sessions. Turn your passion into your profession.

Fundamentals:ONLINE is a series of online webinars for all young theatre-makers looking to upskill and learn more about the practical ‘business of theatre’ from a host of industry professionals.  

Whether you are looking to lay the groundwork and grow your understanding of how to establish a career in the arts or gain some valuable insights from people who have already done so, these webinars will explore key areas important to any emerging artist creating grassroots theatre and trying to make their way.

Session Topics:

  1. Producing for You: Getting Things Off the Ground with David Hewitson – 30 September
  2. Finding the Finances: Where and How to Approach Funding with Conner Milliken – 14 October
  3. Marketing & Audiences: Not What You Sell but How You Sell It with Shelley Middler – 4 November

Key Information:

For more information and to book, click the Opportunity Info link below!

Introducing The Youth Theatre Together Map!

Click the Opportunity Info link below to find a youth theatre near you. Search by adding a location, organisation name, age range, activity or region into the search bars.

Through in-house productions, industry based placements and hands-on training, you’ll learn all relevant skills relating to the work of the production technician in theatre, events, and other areas of the entertainment industry.

Course overview

With technology at its core, this course offers practical, hands-on training in a variety of high-end lighting, sound, and video systems – skills that are in high demand for the theatre, events, film and television industries in Wales and across the rest of the UK.

You’ll have classes given by leading professionals operating at the top of their field, alongside several production placements, both based at the College and with our industry partners here in Wales.

With your placements, developing your expertise for a technical career in the creative industries is only one part of it. These experiences will also help you to build communication and team working skills that are essential to thriving in collaborative environments.

After graduation, you could take on roles such as a production electrician, lighting technician or programmer, sound and system engineer, video operator or programmer, among many more.

Why study this course?

  • All but two of the modules are designed to replicate the experience of work-based learning. You’ll work with state-of-the-art entertainment industry technology such as, but not limited to, automated lighting and consoles, digital sound systems, video projection and production electrics.
  • You’ll train with a team of staff who are highly skilled industry professionals. They offer you not only first-rate teaching in current best practices, but mentorship and networking opportunities as well.
  • For your placements within the second year at the College, you’ll have a lead production role, under the supervision and guidance of a senior technician, working with the various technical teams (video, lighting, sound) during the fit up of Richard Burton Theatre Company productions.
  • Throughout your training, you’ll work alongside staff from the design and stage-management departments and interact with students from across the College’s performing arts courses. These collaborations will help you to develop an understanding of and empathy of the other fields of practice within the creative arts.
  • Your external placement will take place with one of our leading industry partners, such as the Welsh National Opera, Stage Sound Services, Figure of Eight Events or Sherman Theatre. This opportunity not only gives you practical, real-world experience, but it also allows you to meet and create a network of contacts within the industry.
  • For up to three years after you complete your course, you have the option to ‘top up’ your qualification. You can do this by completing an additional year of study to gain a level 6 qualification as part of our BA (Hons) Stage Management and Technical Theatre.
  • You’ll have talks from, and get to meet, industry professionals from a range of different disciplines, who are regularly invited to speak here at the College – giving you a chance to widen your professional network in readiness for your life after graduation.
  • You’ll take part in visits to local theatre companies, giving you a feel for what the industry is really like. On occasion, when major productions visit Cardiff, we’ll try to arrange visits to the production and organise a tour or talk for your cohort.

Through work experience and hands-on training, you’ll learn how to plan, draught, construct and install sets to a professional standard whilst working on our numerous public productions.

Course overview

Work placements and hands-on training in our workshops are at the centre of this specialist course that focuses on building sets for theatrical productions.

From day one in our state-of-the-art workshops at Llanishen Studios, you’ll learn fundamental construction techniques in carpentry, metalwork and welding. But you’ll also delve into using digital tools that are essential in set construction, such as SketchUp and Auto Cad, and computer numerical control (CNC) equipment.

Following your workshop training, you’ll then become more familiar with the theatre environment, learning basic skills in access equipment, rigging and flying systems. You’ll also gain greater insight into the roles and duties of relevant team members and become involved in the load-in and fit-up of productions here at the College.

The bulk of this course, which is the only one of its kind in the UK, consists of work placements – some of which will be held at the College. The others will take place externally with our professional partners, which are some of the largest and most prestigious companies from the TV, film and theatrical industries in Wales and the UK.

In our welcoming creative environment, you’ll build all the professional, practical and technical skills you need to secure a construction technician role after graduation – a position that’s highly in demand.

Why study this course?

  • Your skills will be in demand – there’s currently a shortage of suitably qualified entry-level technicians in the stage and screen industries.
  • You’ll be guided by expert practitioners who are currently working in today’s industry. They offer you not only first-rate teaching, but mentorship and networking opportunities as well.
  • Your cohort is small – so you’ll receive a very high level of individual support and attention during your course.
  • We’ve partnered with some of the largest companies in the UK, who offer our students professional work placements, these include Welsh National Opera, Cardiff Theatrical Services, Bay Productions, Wild Creations, and Bad Wolf.
  • You’ll take on increasingly high levels of responsibility for creating and installing stage sets for our in-house productions, including opera and musical theatre. You’ll take on the role of construction leader in at least one of your placements. As part of this work, you’ll follow the design process, work with the designer to produce the required construction drawings, lead the construction and the final fit-up of the set.
  • You’ll be based at our large and superbly equipped workshops at Llanishen Studios, which are the largest and best equipped of any competitive conservatoire.
  • At the end of the two-year course, you'll have the option to ‘top-up’ your qualification and receive a BA (Hons) in Design for Performance by completing an additional year of study specialising in scenic construction.
  • Alongside your placements, you’ll have evening classes at the College to help you develop commercial and financial awareness, as well as project management communications and leadership skills.
  • Collaboration runs through everything we do here. You’ll train alongside other design and stage-management students, as well as those studying our performing arts courses. This kind of work helps you to develop an understanding and empathy of other creative arts disciplines – but it also helps you to build partnerships that can last long after you graduate.

In this work placement centred course, you’ll learn how to create stage sets, backdrops and props for public performances, television and film.

Course overview

Our industry-led course will give you all the skills you need to create stage sets, backdrops and props for public performances and work on major television and film projects.

Guided by a team of staff who are experienced professionals, you’ll learn all the main workshop practices of the stage and screen industries.

These practices include fundamental painting and texturing techniques, prop making, metalwork and how to use tools and other relevant equipment – such as core computer skill training (specialising in fusion360 and Auto Cad), which will allow you to operate laser cutters, 3D printers and computer numerical control (CNC) equipment.

You’ll then put your newfound knowledge into practice, where you’ll have several work placements – both in College productions and with our industry partners, who create sets and props for some of the country’s biggest productions.

The only course of its kind outside London, it provides a welcoming, safe environment where you can experiment and really push your creative boundaries. You’ll emerge as a specialist in your discipline, ready to flourish in this ever-changing, demanding industry.

Why study this course?

  • You’ll gain an understanding of the techniques, crafts, structures and working methods used in today’s industry. This includes both metal fabrication and carpentry.
  • You’ll train with a team of staff who are highly skilled industry professionals. They offer you not only first-rate teaching, but mentorship and networking opportunities as well.
  • Most of this two-year course focuses on using your skills in a variety of different settings – both in College productions and in placements with our industry partners.
  • These industry partners are companies who work with some of the largest and most prestigious theatres in the UK and abroad. Our partners and supporters include Theatr Clwyd, The Bakehouse Factory, Welsh National Opera, Cardiff Theatrical Services, Bay Productions, Wild Creations, and Bad Wolf.
  • You’ll work alongside other students from our design and stage management departments and interact with those from across our performing arts courses.
  • In at least one of your work placements, you’ll take on the role of scenic arts leader for a production performed here at the College. This role will see you following the design process, working with the designer to produce the necessary costings and paint samples, as well as overseeing and guiding BA and MA Design students on their production placements.
  • Our strong ties with industry also means that your training reflects the latest best practice in TV, film and stage. These partnerships also allow you to easily build a network of contacts, which is crucial to laying the groundwork for a successful career in the arts sector.
  • Our workshop facilities are the largest and best equipped of any competitive conservatoire – and you’ll be working on the same equipment as those specialists in the industry.
  • We keep the cohort numbers small so you’ll get lots of individual support throughout your course.
  • You’ll also develop your leadership and management abilities, giving you the confidence to thrive in a professional environment after you graduate.
  • After you complete your course, you'll have the option ‘top up’ your qualification. You can do this by completing an additional year of study to gain a level 6 qualification as part of our BA (Hons) Design for Performance degree.

Being a designer is expensive. You need a powerful computer. You need costly software. There’s always a new version you have to buy, and every company is trying to scam you into their subscription model. Too many brilliant creatives are being gated out, so we’re knocking down the gate. 

This season, we're launching the pilot of Universal Basic Assets for theatre designers, an initiative through which we'll offer free access to tools, equipment, software, and desk space that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive for artists looking to learn, grow, and develop their craft.

Introducing: The Freelancers' Laptop. We've got a high spec MacBook Pro with licenses for AutoCAD, QLab, Logic, Capture, and the full Adobe Suite. And we want you to come and use it. For free. While you're with us, you'll be welcomed into the daily life of the New Diorama, where the coffee flows and theatre makers are devising the future of performance. 

If you’re a theatre designer who would benefit from using the laptop and its software, and has found cost to be a barrier to accessing these resources, this one’s for you. We're currently accepting applications for use of the laptop between 19th October - 18th December 2026.

The Offer:

Eligibility:

This opportunity is open to freelance theatre designers working on research and development or currently engaged in the production process on new theatre and performance work. If successful, we ask that you commit to spending the majority of your working hours onsite at New Diorama during your allocated weeks, making use of the laptop resource. In order to maximise the impact of this resource, designers who hold full-time salaried positions within the field are not eligible to apply.

We are particularly interested in supporting designers at earlier stages of their practice, as well as designers who are working on devised, collaborative or non-traditional processes for whom this resource might support experimentation and the testing of ideas.

Given that the laptop and software are communal resources, the programme may best suit designers working on projects at earlier stages of development, rather than delivering work that is near completion or subject to strict deadlines. We're open to a wide variety of usages, but it's worth taking into consideration whether your projects will suit the boundaries places around the programme — the laptop will need to remain onsite at NDT and access to the laptop is limited to Monday-Friday, 10am-6pm. 

We will not be asking any questions or doing any screening around financial need, but ask that you please consider whether this is a resource that you already have access to before applying. The laptop is primarily intended for designers for whom equipment and software access have been limited and cost-prohibitive. 

We will reserve 50% of the allocation for designers who are Black, Asian, and/or Global Majority, Disabled or Deaf, Working Class, and/or trans.

Selection Process:

Access to the laptop will be allocated through lottery selection in two phases: one launching in September 2026 to cover the autumn period and the other launching in December 2026 to cover the spring. 

Each lottery will take place in two stages: the first will allocate priority spaces and the second will cover the remaining pool of applications. Anyone who is unsuccessful in the priority draw will be placed in the wider pool for the second draw.

The draw will take place immediately following the end of each application period, with successful applicants confirming their usage weeks and signing a letter of agreement with New Diorama.

Apply Now!

Applications for the first phase of lottery selection (October - December 2026) are now open. The deadline to apply is Thursday 1st October 2026 at 6:00pm. All applicants will be notified of their lottery outcome by Friday 16th October.

For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!

Discuss the opportunities and challenges of embedding sustainability into a design process.

Led by production manager and designer Jenn Taillefer, hear insights of how you can embed sustainability into the creative process when making design decisions and working with the demands of delivery.

This session will draw on sector-specific tools (such as Julie's Bicycle and Theatre Green Book) and offer both practical and personal reflections on the impact of the climate emergency when making work at mid to large scale.

This mid-career masterclass is aimed at mid-career designers and directors, including associates, who are moving from studio scale to working with larger organisations/partners.

Essential Information:

For more information and to register your interest, click the Opportunity Info link below!

Hackney Young Collective is a creative community for young people aged 18-30 who want to gain experience, develop new skills, and bring ideas to life. Whether you're pursuing a career in the arts, looking to build your confidence, expand your network, or simply searching for a space where you can be creative and meet like-minded people, this project is for you.

Through hands-on theatre making, collaboration, mentoring, and real-world creative projects, you’ll work alongside industry professionals to explore new ideas, develop your practice, and create original work.

We believe that creativity thrives when people are given the opportunity to experiment, learn from one another, and be part of something bigger than themselves.

This is a place to build skills, discover opportunities, form meaningful connections, and take the next step in your creative journey.

What do we do?

You will:

When?

Essential information:

For more information and to register your interest, click the Opportunity Info link below!

After the announcement of its closure, Forest Forge has allocated remaining funds to support local artists and organisations with grants of between £500 – £5,000.

In 2026 Forest Forge Theatre Company announced its closure after 45 years of making and touring theatre in the New Forest. As the journey comes to an end, the team are eager to support artists and cultural community organisations in the New Forest via some small commissions. We hope that by providing small pots of funding we can support sustainability and can seed fund new ideas.

We have ringfenced some of our remaining funds to support local artists and organisations with grants of between £500 – £5,000. We anticipate making between 5 – 10 Forge Ahead Commission grants.

Projects should deliver activity within one of our three areas of activity:

We are also especially excited to support projects and ideas that complement the Forest Forge ethos; those that are playful, heartfelt, joyful and irreverent.

Funds can be used for any number of costs including artist fees, travel, room hire, materials, marketing, training and can be used as match funding.

We welcome applications from:

Projects must:

Key dates:

Grants are made at the discretion of the trustees and decisions are final. Successful applicants will be required to report back to a Forest Forge Trustee after the closure of the company.

For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!

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