Southwark Playhouse Launches FORGE Artist Development Scheme

Southwark Playhouse has launched FORGE, a brand-new development scheme that empowers emerging theatre companies to develop, refine and platform their artistic voice.

Four exceptional emerging companies will be attached to the Playhouse for 9 months, receiving free rehearsal space to R&D ideas, dramaturgical support from the Southwark Playhouse senior artistic team, free office space for producers and a week-long slot to platform a show in ‘The Little’ space to a paying audience. The scheme will also provide industry mentorship from established theatre professionals and bespoke workshops from the Playhouse team on a variety of key learning topics, to guide and empower them in this creative journey.

Programming Associate Ebenezer Bamgboye said, “We have witnessed the unspeakably tragic disappearance of spaces for early career artists to try things out, grow and learn by ‘doing’ over the last few years in the UK Theatre landscape. This scheme aims to help plug that gap and continue Southwark Playhouse’s longstanding tradition of platforming the next generation of innovative and outstanding UK talent.”

Artistic Director and CEO Chris Smyrnios added, “Ebenezer, our new Programming Associate, has devised a wonderful pilot scheme for helping support the work of new and emerging theatre companies.  We recognise how much harder it is to create and develop new work in the current climate and this scheme aims to offer a helping hand to four successful companies in realising their latest projects for the stage.”

The scheme will be open for applications from today until the 13 June 2024 at 5pm.
The programme will run from July 2024 - April 2025.

Apply here: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/participate/forge-artist-development