A three-day taster course designed for cis and trans women and non-binary individuals aged 18yrs+, offering practical Back of House skills that can lead to entry-level roles as apprentices or casual technicians in theatre.
This initiative is part of our ongoing effort to challenge inequality and improve access across the industry. Over the three days, you will gain hands-on experience and training in stage, hemp flying, knots, lighting and sound set up and operation. The course will also explore pathways into working in the industry.
Key Information:
For more information and to book, click the Opportunity Info link below!
A six-month funded programme for artists with bold new ideas
What would you make if you stopped worrying about whether it was too ambitious, too political, too different, or too difficult?
We're looking for bold new ideas that respond to the world we live in now.
About SHIFT Artist Labs:
SHIFT Artist Labs is a 6-month funded programme running between January and July 2027, for artists with ideas that need the time, care and investment to grow.
We know that many artists carry work that has been put on hold: ideas that have been self-censored, scaled back, deprioritised, or simply haven’t had the resources to develop. SHIFT Artist Labs exist to help those ideas take their next step.
We are looking for projects that ask difficult questions, challenge dominant narratives, and ask who gets to tell stories and on whose terms. Joyful or provocative, intimate or epic, we’re interested in stories that feel alive to the present moment.
What the Programme Offers:
Five projects will receive a tailored package of investment including:
The Process:
You'll be matched with a dramaturg, a producer, an industry steward, and join a programme of workshops with the wider SHIFT network.
Important Dates:
The compulsory workshops will run for 2 hours either in person or on Zoom during:
The programme will conclude with an in-person sharing on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 July 2027.
Travel for the in-person days and accommodation for the two-day final sharing will be covered for artists based outside London.
Who Can Apply:
You cannot apply with a project that:
Available Places:
To ensure the programme reaches artists across regions and communities, the five available places will be allocated to:
In line with Tamasha’s mission and values, we are particularly interested in supporting work by Global Majority artists.
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Join us for a conversation with theatre maker and aerial artist Farrell Cox, exploring her career as an interdisciplinary artist.
Farrell will share how she brings different disciplines into her work, how she decides which skills to draw on for each project, and how she weaves her lived experience into the stories she creates.
We’ll also explore how to recognise and make the most of your full creative skillset, and how to keep creating and developing your practice within the current challenges facing the theatre industry.
An informal session with space to reflect, share ideas and explore new possibilities for your own creative practice.
Key Information:
For more information and to reserve your place, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Applications are now OPEN for Young Techs 2027.
Our Young Techs programme is a FREE introductory training programme for 18–25-year-olds who want to develop practical skills and explore a career in backstage theatre.
This introductory training programme gives participants hands-on experience in lighting, sound and stagecraft, working alongside professional theatre technicians and industry practitioners.
Course Summary:
All eligible applicants will be invited to join us at a Selection/Interview workshop at Stratford East on Wednesday 9 December, 4:00-5:15pm or 6:30-7:45pm.
Participants on this programme will be paid a training bursary when working on specific shows.
For more information and to apply, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Cameron Mackintosh Limited is delighted to offer a technical demonstration from Lionel Bart’s musical masterpiece, Oliver! Join the company at the Gielgud Theatre where you will take your seat in the auditorium and get to see how all the technical elements are combined to produce a scene. This session will showcase sound, lighting, automation and stage management in perfect harmony!
The demonstration will be followed by a Q&A where you will get the opportunity to ask the company questions about any technical aspects of the show.
This session will be hosted by the Oliver! production team, presented by Cameron Mackintosh LTD
Key Information:
How to Book:
Bookings open at 12pm on Monday 19 October.
To find out how to book, sign up to the TheatreCraft 2026 mailing list using the ‘Stay up to date’ pop-up in the bottom-left corner of this page.
Subscribers will receive booking information and instructions on Friday 16 October, followed by the link to book when bookings open at 12pm on Monday 19 October.
Already signed up? You don’t need to do anything – we’ll email you everything you need to know.
In-Person Waiting List:
If you aren’t able to book a place in advance, you can join the ‘on the day’ waiting list at the workshop venue. This is for any places that become available due to last-minute cancellations or no-shows.
Simply come to the specified venue and a volunteer will direct you to the waiting list queue. Places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and joining the waiting list does not guarantee entry.
For more information and to sign up to book, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Inside the first new West End theatre in over 50 years. The department heads of Stage and Electrics at @sohoplace will take you on a fascinating journey through the challenges, innovations and triumphs of bringing this groundbreaking venue to life. In this exclusive session, they’ll share:
Whether you’re a theatre professional, student or just curious about what it takes to run a state-of-the-art venue, this is your chance to hear directly from the team making it happen.
This workshop will be hosted by Tony Priestley, Geoff Grint and @sohoplace team.
Key Information:
How to Book:
Bookings open at 12pm on Monday 19 October.
To find out how to book, sign up to the TheatreCraft 2026 mailing list using the ‘Stay up to date’ pop-up in the bottom-left corner of this page.
Subscribers will receive booking information and instructions on Friday 16 October, followed by the link to book when bookings open at 12pm on Monday 19 October.
Already signed up? You don’t need to do anything – we’ll email you everything you need to know.
In-Person Waiting List:
If you aren’t able to book a place in advance, you can join the ‘on the day’ waiting list at the workshop venue. This is for any places that become available due to last-minute cancellations or no-shows.
Simply come to the specified venue and a volunteer will direct you to the waiting list queue. Places will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and joining the waiting list does not guarantee entry.
For more information and to sign up to book, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Join award-winning producer, writer and co-founder of the Women's Prize for Playwriting, Ellie Keel, as she offers insights into how to enjoy a successful career in theatre, even in a cultural climate where artistic opportunities can seem fewer in number and more competitive when they do exist.
In a world where artists need to be entrepreneurs as well as creatives, we'll explore how to maintain vision and volition, through a mix of identifying gaps in the market, creating opportunities, building relationships, and taking strategic risks with the reward of making the work you want to make.
This Masterclass will reveal how to start new ways of working, how to sustain yourself both commercially and creatively, and how to find the support you need to make things happen. Ellie will share her experiences of engaging and retaining stakeholders, garnering support, and – whether staging a play or starting a prize competition which evolves into a registered charity – learning the skill of effective fundraising.
This Masterclass, aimed at early- to mid-career theatre-makers, will equip participants with practical tools, fresh insights and clearer ideas about what they will make next.
Key Information:
For more information and to book, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Please note: This event has been fully booked. Join the waitlist for the chance to secure a place!
Undertaking PhD study gives you the opportunity to engage with an area of drama, theatre, or performance in depth and at an advanced level. East 15 Acting School, with its growing research profile and internationally recognised research quality is an obvious home for such research.
At East 15, research degree students will undertake one of two paths of enquiry. The PhD in Drama and Performance is a conventional PhD whereby candidates are assessed via thesis and viva voce examination. For the PhD Drama and Performance (Practice-as-Research) course, candidates are assessed via practice-as-research, a thesis that contextualises and analyses the performance practice in relation to the research topic, and a viva voce examination. For guidance, areas of expected practice include: theatre directing, dramaturgy, actor training, design (scenery, sound, lighting, costume), and performance art.
For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!
Undertaking PhD study gives you the opportunity to engage with an area of drama, theatre, or performance in depth and at an advanced level. East 15 Acting School, with its growing research profile and internationally recognised research quality is an obvious home for such research.
At East 15, research degree students will undertake one of two paths of enquiry. The PhD in Drama and Performance is a conventional PhD whereby candidates are assessed via thesis and viva voce examination. For the PhD Drama and Performance (Practice as Research) course, candidates are assessed via practice as research, a thesis that contextualises and analyses the performance practice in relation to the research topic, and a viva voce examination. For guidance, areas of expected practice include: theatre directing, dramaturgy, actor training, design (scenery, sound, lighting, costume), and performance art.
For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!
What is the Certificate of HE Technical Theatre and Production Arts?
East 15’s Cert HE Technical Theatre & Production Arts is a one-year, industry-focused course designed to provide foundational professional training in stage management and technical theatre.
Based at our Colchester Campus, the course mirrors the first year of training on the BA (Hons) Stage Management degree offered at our Loughton Campus. You’ll pursue high-quality, vocational training that prepares you for entry-level backstage roles in theatre and the wider creative industries, or progression to further undergraduate study.
This course is subject to final approval.
Why this course?
This course offers an intensive, practical introduction to the technical and production skills that underpin live performance. With strong emphasis on learning through doing, you’ll be embedded in production teams from early in the course, gaining hands-on experience in a range of backstage disciplines.
You’ll study at our Colchester Campus, home to the fully equipped 200-seat Lakeside Theatre, where you’ll work on public productions and practical projects. Supported by professionally experienced staff, you’ll develop a broad technical skillset while gaining insight into how professional theatre is made.
The course also provides clear progression routes, with opportunities to move directly into the second year of training on East 15’s BA (Hons) Stage Management or BA (Hons) Creative Producing (Theatre and Short Film).
Who should apply?
For more information, click the Opportunity Info link below!
