The programme will support 10 directors and 10 producers to take the next steps in their careers. The artists will work together on projects across the year, including a festival takeover at Wales Millennium Centre’s Weston Studio. Participants will collaborate with performance designers from Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.
ARISE - WALES CREATIVES has been created for early-career creatives over the age of 18 who currently feel underrepresented in theatre and the arts in Wales. The programme is especially for those who identify with any groups with protected characteristics including ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality and disability.
Sita Thomas, Artistic Director of Fio said: In London, I benefited from programmes like the Young Vic Directors Programme and Artistic Directors of the Future’s Up Next. Without these initiatives I wouldn’t be an artistic director today. In Wales, I feel that there have not been enough sustained opportunities on this scale in terms of development programmes for directors and producers. The fact that we are paying participants differentiates us from many other initiatives. I am so excited for the future of arts and theatre in Wales, and know that this programme, which we hope to continue long-term, will be an important shift in the ecology of the sector, ensuring that it becomes more diverse and representative of our contemporary world.
Emma Evans, Head of Productions of Wales Millennium Centre said: We are delighted to be working with Sita, one of our Creative Associates, who has designed a programme that will support artists to find their voices and make space for them to explore their practice. We’re creating a cohort of individuals who, through learning and growing together, will be empowered to forge new and exciting futures.
The programme will run from May 2022 until May 2023, with sessions to be held at Wales Millennium Centre. Applications are now open and will close on Monday 4 April at 10am. Full details about the programme including how to apply can be found here: www.wearefio.org.uk/arise-wales-creatives.
ARISE - WALES CREATIVES is a partnership between Fio and Wales Millennium Centre, with support from Stage Directors UK, Stage One, Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and Buzz Culture.
