Do you have a passion or idea and want to start your own business? Gain the confidence, knowledge, skills, and techniques to start your own business and become self-employed!
Our self employment programme has been developed specifically to cater to the needs of young people with disabilities and autism.
We can arrange individual or small group sessions in any of the following areas:
We can support you to develop bespoke self-employment advice that matches your skillset passions and talent!
Contact Caroline for more information:
For more information and to refer yourself, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Southwark-based artists are able to apply for free use of Canada Water Theatre to support the development of creative ideas through rehearsals and closed R&Ds.
Bookable spaces for a given month are released via the form below during the first week of the previous month. The deadline to complete this form will be the 15th of each month and we will be in touch in the following week to confirm if we’re able to assign you space.
For more information and to book, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Almeida For Free is an exciting festival for people aged 25 and under.
Running alongside their productions, the festival gives young people the chance to see the productions for free, and to also take part in workshops, panel discussions and masterclasses that cover everything from acting and writing, to theatre-making and design.
It is a celebration of young people’s creativity that takes over the whole theatre and aims to give an insight into the way shows are created at the Almeida.
For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Join the Edinburgh Fringe Society for £5 per year to have a hand in shaping the festival's future!
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the organisation that underpins the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Its core aims are to support participants, assist Fringe audiences and celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world.
As an open membership organisation, we're always looking for new and diverse voices to join the conversation and help shape the future of the Society.
Membership costs £5 a year to cover administration costs and members are responsible for electing the Board of Directors, adopting the accounts and appointing the auditors each year. By choosing to become a member of the Fringe Society, you play a significant role in one of the world’s most incredible arts festivals.
Membership to the Fringe Society is annual and runs for 12 months from the point at which you join. Before your membership expires we will remind you to renew your membership so you can continue to make a contribution to the Society.
The founding principle at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – to be an open-access arts event that welcomes anyone with a story to tell and a venue to host them – still guides the work of the Society today.
It’s our policy that no single individual or committee determines who can or cannot perform on the Fringe.
The Society was formed in 1958, in recognition of the fact that more and more performers were coming to Edinburgh despite not being included in the Edinburgh International Festival programme. Its earliest tasks included providing information to artists, publishing the Fringe Programme and creating a central box office. In 1969 the Society was incorporated as a limited company and its constitution published.
Unlike many other festivals, our constitution celebrates the fact that the Society does not vet the Fringe Programme. That means we have no artistic director and that the programme is shaped by the initiative and vision of performers willing to showcase their work here.
For more information and to become a member, click the Opportunity Info link below!
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.
Work experience offers practical, hands-on insight into the theatre industry, helping you build skills, confidence, and a clearer understanding of different career pathways. It’s an ideal first step when exploring a future in theatre. As an initial step, we recommend getting in contact with your local theatre to see if they offer any work experience opportunities.
While many people associate theatre careers with performing, there are a huge number of offstage roles that make productions possible. From stage management and lighting to marketing, producing, costume, sound, and technical theatre, work experience allows you to explore these departments and discover which areas interest you most. Taking part in work experience placements can provide a range of valuable benefits, including:
Understanding How Theatres Work:
Working within a theatre environment allows you to see how different departments collaborate to bring a production to life. This perspective is incredibly valuable if you're considering a career in the sector.
Developing Practical Theatre Skills:
Work experience often gives you the chance to assist with real tasks, whether that’s supporting technical teams, observing rehearsals, helping front-of-house teams, or working with marketing and administration departments.
Building Confidence and Professional Skills:
Being part of a professional environment helps you develop communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills that are essential across the creative industries.
Making Connections in the Theatre Industry:
The theatre industry is highly collaborative. Work experience placements can introduce you to professionals working in the field and help you begin building a network within the industry.
Strengthening Future Applications:
Whether you're applying for drama school, university courses, apprenticeships, or entry-level roles, work experience demonstrates enthusiasm, initiative, and commitment to the sector.
Many theatres and arts organisations across the UK offer work experience placements, shadowing opportunities, and youth programmes. Availability and application processes vary, but the following organisations regularly provide opportunities for young people interested in theatre careers:
London
South of England
Midlands
North of England
North of England
Wales
Scotland
Northern Ireland
You may also want to check the websites of theatres local to you, as many venues offer placements throughout the year or during school holidays.
Work experience is one of the most valuable ways to begin exploring opportunities in theatre. It provides a clearer understanding of how productions are created and how different departments work together behind the scenes.
Whether your interests lie in technical theatre, production, stage management, marketing, or theatre administration, gaining offstage experience is an excellent way to start your journey in the industry.
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.
Join WEST Youth Zone: Creative Collective
Aged 13-19? Are you interested in scriptwriting, spoken word poetry, performing and acting? Want to brush up on your acting technique, build your confidence and meet new people?
Every Friday from 5-10pm @ WEST Youth Zone White City we are offering dedicated workshops to our ‘Creative Collective’.
Become a member of WEST Youth Zone for just £5 annual membership and 50p per entry, you’ll unlock a place where you can make new friends, dive into 20+ fun activities a night, relax in a chilled space or try something new. You can also enjoy a tasty hot meal for just £1 in our BiteCity Café!
WEST is open to young people aged 8 – 19 (up to 25 with additional needs) from all backgrounds, for all abilities, and all across West London and beyond, so come and join WEST – Where Everyone Sticks Together!
This exciting course provides an exceptional opportunity for anyone drawn to the world of theatre
You will explore the back-stage and on-stage disciplines of theatre. With a strong emphasis on personal creativity, the course provides a unique view of performance and production. It is a rewarding alternative to the traditional ‘A’ Level route. Equivalent to 3 ‘A’ Levels, it links theoretical preparation in lectures and workshops with practical classes.
Based on the idea of repertory theatre, students undertake public performances and musical/dance showcases. Students have been prize winners in the Northern Ireland Inter College Performing Arts Competitions.
The course is based in the Foyle Theatre complete with dressing rooms, costume store, stage craft and property workshops. AV equipment are of the highest professional standard. Whether working back-stage or performing onstage, you will gain an invaluable insight into the world of theatre and develop professional skills in both public performance and technical support.
This course will provide you with the opportunity to explore, develop and test your creativity within a qualification structure which is stimulating, demanding and supportive. It will offer you an excellent opportunity to develop all-round and transferable skills in all aspect of the make-up industry.
You will explore SFX, Prosthetics, Stage Make-Up and Hair, Period Make-Up and Hair, Body Art, Fashion and Fantasy. Alongside these specialisms you will also work on both small and large scale productions throughout the year, such as musicals and plays to design and realise the make-up and hair designs.
This will support your experience and expertise when planning and executing your Final Major Project, where you take on ownership and responsibility of managing the success of a collaborative performance.
