What does it mean to be a theatre maker today?
A UK-wide free training programme for ages 18–30
Dive into the world of theatre-making and shape the future of theatre with OV Theatre Makers, a free, six-month training programme.
With the support of director Joseph Hancock and leading professional theatre makers, you’ll explore contemporary theatre-making practices to provide you with a toolkit of skills to begin developing your own work and career. Developing a broad range of theatre making skills from writing and devising to directing and producing you will then have the chance to showcase your work in a Scratch Night at a professional theatre venue.
Travel to London will be required and we’re able to support with costs if needed.
The programme will include:
- A launch event, joined by Old Vic staff
- 14 masterclass days, Sep 2025–Feb 2026, led by director Joseph Hancock and guest practitioners from a range of theatre disciplines, such as writing, directing and producing
- A Scratch Night, showcasing participants’ work presented at the Studio at The Old Vic
- Bespoke workshops on networking, freelancing, how to pitch, collaboration and wellbeing
- A theatre ticket allowance
- Tickets to two Old Vic Productions
- Support with travel costs for the duration of the project if required
- Guidance and support from the OV Theatre Makers Director and Participation Manager
- The opportunity to join our alumni network ‘OV Connect’ which allows you to stay connected to The Old Vic through a variety of free workshops, networking events and tickets to see Old Vic Productions.
OV Theatre Makers is a six-month programme comprising of 15 sessions. It is essential that participants can commit to all of the following dates:
Programme launch
A Welcome Day comprising of introductory sessions to help participants integrate with other members of the company and be introduced to The Old Vic and how we work. We will take the company to see an Old Vic Production in the evening.
- Sat 13 Sep, 10am–5pm (Old Vic performance from 7.30pm–10pm).
In-person masterclass sessions: Sep 2025–Feb 2026
This programme will take place in person at an accessible venue near The Old Vic and at The Old Vic’s brand new Backstage Building. From Sep 2025–Jan 2026, we meet every two weeks and in Feb 2026, we meet every week in the run up to the Scratch Night.
In-person masterclass sessions will take place on:
- Sat 27 Sep, 10am–5pm
- Sat 11 Oct, 10am–5pm
- Sat 25 Oct, 10am–5pm
- Sat 08 Nov, 10am–5pm
- Sat 22 Nov, 10am–5pm
- Sat 06 Dec, 10am–5pm
- Sat 10 Jan, 10am–5pm
- Sat 24 Jan, 10am–5pm
- Sat 07 Feb, 10am–5pm
- Sat 14 Feb, 10am–5pm.
Scratch Night
Using what they’ve learnt, participants will come together to devise and curate responsive pieces of theatre to showcase and amplify their work, ideas and voices. This will be performed to an invited audience in the Studio at The Old Vic.
- Fri 20 Feb, 10am–5pm (Rehearsal)
- Sat 21 Feb, 10am–5pm (Rehearsal)
- Fri 27 Feb, 10am–6pm (Tech and dress rehearsals)
- Sat 28 Feb, 10am–10pm (Scratch Night).
Who is this programme for?
OV Theatre Makers covers a broad range of theatre-making disciplines as well as practical guidance on how to develop and sustain a career in the industry. As such, we are looking for people with a passion for theatre making who would benefit from developing new skills, confidence and networks.
This programme is for emerging theatre professionals and, as such, we will not accept applications from anyone with an established theatre career.
We are committed to identifying and resolving barriers which may ordinarily exclude people from accessing theatre and will prioritise people who have had limited or no access to arts opportunities in the past. This includes people from the global majority, care-experienced people, carers, disabled people, neurodivergent people, people from working class backgrounds and people from the LGBTQIA+ community.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be aged 18–30 and based in the UK
- You must be able to travel to London to take part. We are able to support with travel if required
- You must be able to attend all dates
- You must have attended state school when aged 11–16
- As an alternative route to formalised education, OV Theatre Makers is not open to anyone who has already received or is receiving formal, degree level (or equivalent) arts training. This includes attending Drama School or any Theatre/Drama/Acting/Performance/Technical Theatre related degrees
- You cannot be currently studying for any degree and cannot hold above a bachelor’s degree (e.g. Masters or PhD).
- We are committed to working with people who have a disability or identify as neurodivergent (for example: dyslexia, ADHD, autism) and can make adjustments for this at all stages of the application process and programme
- If you have a different learning style, we can change the course content and resources to suit you
- We can bring in additional access support if required
- The project will take place at a venue with step-free access
- We can provide travel support if needed
- The Old Vic offer accessible performances, including Captioned, Audio Described, British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted and Relaxed performances. Find out more about access at The Old Vic on our website
- If you would like to talk to us about your access requirements prior to applying or at any point during the process, please contact us via email at ovtheatremakers@oldvictheatre.com or call 0203 954 3155.
Applications are open now. To apply, please complete the following steps:
1. Check your eligibility using the ‘Eligibility’ tab above
2. Create a short video or audio recording (maximum two minutes long) explaining why you would like to take part in OV Theatre Makers. We want this to be an enjoyable process so have put together a short guide on what to include and how to submit your video
3. Complete this application form to confirm your personal details, availability for the project and any access requirements you have. There are also two questions to answer:
- A. We are keen to have participants with varying levels of experience in our company. Can you tell us about any experience you have relevant to the OV Theatre Makers programme (if any)?
- B. How would you hope to use the experience gained on the OV Theatre Makers programme in your future? (Suggested word count 150–200 words)
4. Please note, we can only consider your application once we have received both the video/audio recording and the application form. We would recommend creating your video/audio recording first.
If any part of the application process is not accessible to you, please contact us via email at ovtheatremakers@oldvictheatre.com or call us on 0203 954 3155 so we can discuss alternative ways for you to apply.
Due to a technical error with our social media posts, we are extending the deadline to apply to Mon 07 Jul, 9.30am.
We aim to let applicants know if they have been shortlisted for the final recruitment stage by Mon 21 Jul.
Information session
We will be holding an online information session on Wed 11 June from 6.30–7.30pm with director Joseph Hancock and Participation Manager Charlotte Gaughan. This is an opportunity to hear more about the programme, the application process and to ask any questions you might have.
To attend, please fill in an information session registration form.
Selection workshops
Successful candidates will be invited to attend a fun and relaxed recruitment workshop to allow us to get to know you better and build our company. These will take place in St Andrew’s, Short Street, London SE1 8LJ. This is an accessible venue five minutes from Waterloo station. Please note, the online session is prioritised for candidates who live outside of London.
These will take place on either:
- Sat 26 Jul 11.30am–1.30pm
- Sat 26 Jul 3–5pm
- Mon 28 Jul 6–8.15pm (online)
- Tue 29 Jul 6–8pm
If you have any questions about the programme or the application process, please get in touch via ovtheatremakers@oldvictheatre.com
If you have any questions, or need any help completing your application, please contact ovtheatremakers@oldvictheatre.com or call 0203 954 3155.