Creation Space

A year-long artist development programme for theatremakers and movement artists

Train. Learn. Create.

a committed space to develop your work, supported by peers and leading practitioners who understand the process deeply

3 intensive workshops. A year of personalised mentoring. 3 Funding Workshops. Producing support. A public sharing in 2027.

Creation Space

Is a pioneering artist development programme for theatremakers , dance and movement artists who want to build their own work while learning from leading voices in UK physical theatre and dance.

The entire programme is designed so that you’re not just learning - you’re making.

Across the year, you’ll take part in 3 workshop intensives designed to support your creative practice in idea generation, creation skills, composition and structure, as well as dramaturgical depth.

You’ll also receive 1:1 coaching, access to funding workshops and space support, plus the option to share your work in a public scratch in Winter 2026.

You’ll be part of a curated cohort and develop a lifetime relationship with new peers and Babel.

You’ll train with pioneering practitioners and apply what you learn directly to your own work-in-progress, in the room, with others doing the same.

Apply Here

Applications open Mon 27th April and places will be offered weekly.
There are limited places available, and Cohort 1 Sold out in 2 weeks. We highly recommend applying early to avoid disappointment.
Contact hello@babeltheatre.co.uk with any queries

Who it’s for:

theatremakers, movers, dancers, choreographers, directors, devisers, and interdisciplinary artists at any stage of creating new work.

This is a space
For momentum.
For experimentation.
For artistic growth, on your own terms,
with mentors, teachers and a community around you.

Applications

Creation Space is a curated cohort. Places are via application only.

This programme is suitable for theatremakers, directors, choreographers, dance and movement artists, devisers and theatre companies who want to develop a new piece of work. We're excited to work with curious, committed and collaborative artists ready to invest a year in their practice and their making.

Applicants must have trained in theatre, dance or a related discipline at a professional level, or have a minimum of three years' professional experience as a performer, maker, director or choreographer. We welcome applications from artists of all backgrounds and routes into the work, including those who are self-taught, came to making later in life, or have built their practice outside formal training.

Participants will be selected based on their readiness and suitability for a year of creative development.

Programme Structure

Your Journey

  • Three 1:1 coaching sessions. Just you, your work, and real momentum.

    Your Mentor and Coach

    Across the programme, you’ll meet with Babel’s Artistic Director, Joseph Lynch — an award winning director, coach, and creative strategist with years of experience helping artists shape raw ideas into funded, festival-ready work.

    Joseph has worked as a cultural leader, mentor, director, teacher and facilitator with: Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, Arts Emergency, Barbican, BBC, Complicite, Central School of Speech and Drama, East 15 Acting School, HOME, London Youth, National Children’s Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra, Tamasha Theatre, University of East London, University of Arts London and more. 

    He is a Fellow of Future Connected, a Lambeth Council leadership programme for emerging cultural leaders.  

    He has worked with Clore Leadership, Clore Social Leadership and London Youth Rise Up Leadership Programme and was noted as ‘One to watch’ by the Observer for his ward winning production of You Must Be The One To Bury Me.

    About The Sessions

    These sessions are where the breakthroughs happen.

    Whether you need dramaturgical support, clarity on what your work actually is, tools and tips on creative processes, support navigating the industry, connecting to other leaders or help navigating next steps — this is dedicated time to reflect, recalibrate, and move forward with precision. No fluff. Just focused, high-impact support to help your work land.

  • Workshop 1:
    Generation & Emergence

    8th - 9th June

    Focus: Tools for creative ignition, how to to begin and develop

    This workshop centres on the earliest phase of the devising process — when ideas are raw, intuitive, and unformed. Through guided improvisations, devising tasks, games, and task-based movement creation, you’ll develop physical vocabulary and generate new material in response to creative prompts. The emphasis is on bold experimentation, creative risk-taking, and building up your capacity to create in the unknown. Artists will leave with a range of starting points and emergent fragments that can be carried forward.

  • Workshop 2:
    Composition & Construction

    3rd & 4th August

    Focus: Composition, structure, and conceptual development

    In this second intensive, the focus turns to shaping and structuring your material. You’ll explore how ideas gain form — testing spatial arrangements, sequencing, rhythm, and narrative logic through compositional exercises. Guided by dynamic compositional and creative exercises, reflective practice, peer exchange, and directorial and choreographic tools, you’ll deepen your craft and arrange material into structured scenes, images, or scores. Artists will leave with a clearer sense of their work’s internal architecture and direction.

  • Workshop 3:
    Depth & Dramaturgy

    5th & 6th October

    Focus: Performance layers, intention, and audience connection

    The final workshop focuses on performance-level decision-making — interrogating what your material is doing, why it matters, and how it communicates. Through dramaturgical enquiry, physical tuning, and detailed feedback, you’ll explore presence, transformation, and resonance. This is about sharpening your material’s edges and expanding its depth — layering in meaning, tension, and nuance. Artists will leave with a more embodied understanding of what their work is saying and how to ready it for public sharing or further development.

  • Build the skills to fund your work — and make bold ideas possible.

    This isn’t a generic info session.

    You’ll get 3 funding workshops!

    ACE Project Grants
    ACE DYCP
    Writing and Building your project for funders aims

    Direct, practical guidance from a specialist who’s helped secure over £1 million through Arts Council England bids. Together, we’ll break down what funders actually look for, how to write with clarity and conviction, and how to structure a bid that serves your vision.

    You’ll leave with real tools, actionable insight, and the confidence to write applications that cut through the noise.

    Because funding your work shouldn’t feel like a mystery.

  • Time and space to build — without the financial friction.

    All Creation Space participants get discounted access to rehearsal studios at Chisenhale Dance Space and other Babel partner venues. Whether you need a room to stretch an idea, revisit workshop material, or carve out time for focused development, this support makes that possible. It’s not a residency. It’s not prescriptive. It’s flexible space for self-directed making — because space shouldn’t be what stops the work from growing.

  • Bring Your Work To Life

    In early 2027, you will be invited to share your work-in-progress at a supported scratch performance, hosted by Babel.

    This is more than a casual showing it’s an opportunity to test your ideas in front of a live audience, connect with other makers, and be seen by programmers, producers, and funders who can support what comes next.

    The work only gets made when you make the work.

    Whether you share a moment, a scene, or a score, this is your chance to put your practice in motion and get it out of your head and onto the stage.

How much is it?

Join the next cohort of Creation Space

After the success of the first year, we’re opening the doors to a pioneering group of artists be a part of a new community and make their work happen.

You’ll receive the full programme — 3 intensive workshops, 1:1 coaching, 3 funding workshops, 2 producing workshops and space support, and a public sharing.

£450 (one-time payment) or 3 payments of £150

Apply Here

Applications open Mon 27th April and places will be offered weekly.
There are limited places available, and Cohort 1 Sold out in 2 weeks. We highly recommend applying early to avoid disappointment.
Contact hello@babeltheatre.co.uk with any queries

Join the programme

Creation Space is built for artists who want to make something meaningful, supported by training, time, and care.

This is your invitation to join the next cohort and have a year of creative support to make your work happen.

If that’s what you need, we’d love you to be part of it.

Apply Here

Applications open Mon 27th April and places will be offered weekly.
There are limited places available, and Cohort 1 Sold out in 2 weeks. We highly recommend applying early to avoid disappointment.
Contact hello@babeltheatre.co.uk with any queries

Creation Space is made possible in partnership with