Draw inspiration from a live operatic performance in this unique workshop. Create a drawing of an opera singer in performance and be inspired by sound and movement in the glorious setting of the Medieval and Renaissance galleries. After the workshop, join us in the Creative Studio at 15:30 for a special talk where you can discover more about the process of costume design. Event designed by London College of Fashion MA Fashion Curation and Cultural Programming students.

This event is part of the V&A Performance Festival

Performances will be at 11:30 and 13:30 and workshop at 15:30 in the Creative Studio, level 3

Medieval & Renaissance, Room 50b

Celebrating English National Opera’s 2022 The Handmaid’s Tale based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, learn about designing the iconic red costumes for the stage with the work and words of costume designer Annemarie Woods. Installation designed by Maryna Gradnova.

This event is part of the V&A Performance Festival

Theatre and Performance Galleries, Room 106, Level 2

Come along as we celebrate the opening of the Helo Ddieithryn Exhibition across Cardiff city centre and reflect on a week of activities examining the state of theatre making in Wales! 

£5 (This cost is to cover specialist materials and is subsidised at 80% of the cost of the materials).

An educational and practical workshop, for makers and designers. Outlining some of the different sustainable and accessible approaches to practical making within the creative industries.

​This afternoon sessions will introduce sustainable approaches to working with solid materials, looking at
alternative methods to casting (including a demonstration of casting with mycelium) and hard finishes.

​Led by Louis Smith, a sculptor and maker who is most at home working on something so big you cannot tell what it is until you are standing far away from it. With experience creating large sculptures and handcrafted objects for companies in and around South Wales ranging from, tiny puppets to enormous hats, he is interested in discovering sustainable materials and approaches and working to integrate them into professional making practices.

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£5 (This cost is to cover specialist materials and is subsidised at 80% of the cost of the materials).

An educational and practical workshop, for makers and designers. Outlining some of the different sustainable and accessible approaches to practical making within the creative industries.

This morning session will explore sustainable approaches to working with flexible materials looking
into alternative methods to mould making and flexible finishes.

​Led by Louis Smith, a sculptor and maker who is most at home working on something so big you cannot tell what it is until you are standing far away from it. With experience creating large sculptures and handcrafted objects for companies in and around South Wales ranging from, tiny puppets to enormous hats, he is interested in discovering sustainable materials and approaches and working to integrate them into professional making practices.

Click here to book your place

A workshop for all creatives that explores the seven guiding principles of Ecostage.  Led by two of Ecostage’s co-founders - Mona Kastell and Ruth Stringer – participants will be introduced to Ecostage’s holistic philosophy around sustainability and how it can be practically applied to a creative project. Encompassing foundations of sustainable arts practice including Deep Democracy, Co-Creation and Wellbeing, Ecostage is a great tool for exploring how and where you can embed sustainability in your arts practice.

About Ecostage: Ecostage is a grassroots initiative and website that provides a framework, tools and resources for embedding ecological thinking at all stages of our creative processes, across all scales of production.  It is led by a creative team of eco-designers based in England, Scotland and Wales: Andrea Carr, Paul Burgess, Mona Kastell and Ruth Stringer. Ecostage is for everyone in the performing arts sector and beyond; wherever you are on your sustainability journey.

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A panel talk and discussion with David Evans (National Theatre Wales, ABTT, SiPA) around the Theatre Green Book and its implementation on productions, aiming to guide participants in how to use the tool in their projects.  Also featuring a presentation about the implementation of sustainability on GALWAD (Collective Cymru) – the project’s sustainable aims and outcomes, its successes, and its challenges.

These presentations will incite a group discussion around Green Arts in Wales – our wider connection to society and the responsibilities this entails. We will also explore what we need as a sector to implement sustainable practice, and the challenges that impede us.

Limited space - click here to register

Post-show Q&A with designer Zoë Hurwitz, following the performance of They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay!

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A chance to see how the design process comes to life behind the scenes where the technical team build and create the show. Free but bookings are essential as places are limited.

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Three one-hour workshops in scale, set & costume design for children and local schools

The workshops will look at scale and you will have a go at creating designs for both set and costume.

Interested parties need to book and attend the whole day.

Email curator Kerry Bradley to book

As part of the exhibition at the Margate School, these talks will explore the following questions: how are performance designers responding and adapting to the key challenges of our times? How has our artform changed in response to a changing world? What voices have been missing from the conversation?

The talks are free to attend and all are welcome.

Three one-hour workshops in scale, set & costume design for children and local schools.

The workshops will look at scale and you will have a go at creating designs for both set and costume.

Interested parties need to book and attend the whole day.

Email curator Kerry Bradley to book

Come and join a social event to celebrate the North London installation. We invite and welcome back designers to view and discuss the exhibition and design as a practice with a drink of your choice. 

This is an evening of conversation and shared experiences; a social gathering with an integrated panel Q&A with some of the exhibited artists, ranging from designers to filmmakers. Confirmed speakers are Tajpal Rathore, Artistic Director of Tribe Arts and Publisher of Off/Stage Zine; Ed Grimoldby, Projection and Video Designer; Bret Chapman, film maker, and Bethany Wells, Performance Designer.

This event is for everyone, not just designers, so please join us for a cuppa and a natter and a chance to build on our sense of community.

Click here to register

We invite Wales-based designers & producers to join us in the lobby of the Sherman Theatre for an afternoon of conversations and exchanges exploring the relationship between designers and producers - two key roles in the theatre making that often seem to not fully understand the challenges, commitment, time, and resources each need to fully collaborate. Facilitated by director, producer, and arts leader Rhian Hutchings, we hope to begin having the difficult conversations and lay groundwork for a more sustainable and collaborative theatre making in Wales. 

Request a place here

This will be an installation of the collectively produced response to the question of the future of performance design, by North London designers. It will be produced through a workshop on 3rd March and through submitted video and audio responses, forming an interactive environment for visitors.

By Dario Fo and Franca Rame
Adapted by Deborah McAndrew

The cost of living is out of control – and so is Anthea. Sick of scrimping and scraping to pay her energy bills, she starts a riot in the local supermarket resulting in a group of raging housewives looting the building.

Now, with a pile of freshly “liberated” groceries, Anthea and her best friend Maggie embark on a ludicrous, laugh-a-minute adventure, trying to keep their law-abiding husbands in the dark whilst staying two steps ahead of the crime squad.

They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! is the work of Dario Fo, Nobel Laureate and the master of farce. Deborah McAndrew’s whip-smart adaptation mixes political satire, hilarious plot twists and wise-cracking dialogue to create a thrilling play about the lengths people will go to when they’re desperate.

They Don’t Pay? We Won’t Pay! is being brought to life by the Mercury Theatre’s Creative Director, Ryan McBryde (Baskerville, The Comedy Of Errors, Oliver)

Designed by Zoë Hurwitz

Click here to book tickets

Grab a beverage of your choice and relax in the Bristol Old Vic Foyer Bar alongside friends colleagues from the region as we celebrate the events of Hello Stranger South West.

This will be a casual, informal opportunity to catch up with old acquaintances and create new connections.

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

Click here to register

Join the Hello Stranger South West team for a parade through Queens Square and King Street using the light up puppets, props and other items created during the workshops earlier in the day.

This is an opportunity to have fun, socialise and raise awareness of the hard work and positive effects of performance design!

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

Click here to register

Join the Hello Stranger South West team for a fun workshop creating light up puppets, props and maybe even costumes using reycled materials. The items created will then be used during a parade around Queen Square and King Street later in the evening.

Materials will be provided, but if you do have anything you would like to upcycle in to an exciting puppet or prop, perhaps a sad old umbrella, then please feel free to bring it along! All items created can either be taken home or returned so that items can be recycled properly.

For further information on the Parade and how you can get involved please see the separate event page.

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

Click here to register

Join the Hello Stranger South West team for a fun workshop creating light up puppets, props and maybe even costumes using reycled materials. The items created will then be used during a parade around Queen Square and King Street later in the evening.

Materials will be provided, but if you do have anything you would like to upcycle in to an exciting puppet or prop, perhaps a sad old umbrella, then please feel free to bring it along! All items created can either be taken home or returned so that items can be recycled properly.

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

Click here to register

Join an exciting panel of practitioners across a range of disciplines including set and costume design, lighting design, production management and education. We will be discussing sustainable and environmentally friendly practice within performance design and the wider industry to better understand how we can create more sustainable shows.

The event will feautre a conversation between the panel, before a Q&A session with the audience and hopefully some time to discuss and mingle further after the event.

Confirmed panellists include: Rachael Duthie, Will Reynolds, Tom Lightbody and Bronia Housman.

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

Click here to register

Come and hear the thoughts of a panel of practitioners from across all sides of the theatre industry to discuss the current state of mental health and wellbeing.

We will be reflecting on how the last few years have impacted us both positively and negatively and asking how we can improve conditions, particularly regarding childcare, production schedules and job sharing.

Full confirmed panel details coming soon!

This event is completely free however capacity is limited so please register your attendance in advance.

Click here to register