New professional development series for artists across the North-West and beyond

This Spring, The Dukes Theatre in Lancaster, in partnership with, online professional development platform, Good Creator, is hosting a second series of ‘The Sessions’, a ten-week series of virtual and in-person keynote lectures jam-packed with insight, inspiration and expert guidance....

Founded by Lancashire-based Writer and Creative Director, Alex O’Toole, Good Creator is a new online professional and commercial development platform for creative practitioners of all disciplines who want to open up new career opportunities, hone their approach and elevate their creative ambitions on their own terms, in their own time, at their own pace. 

This Spring, The Dukes Theatre in Lancaster, in partnership with, online professional development platform, Good Creator, is hosting a second series of ‘The Sessions’, a ten-week series of virtual and in-person keynote lectures jam-packed with insight, inspiration and expert guidance to aspiring, emerging and established artists to support them in building a sustainable, creative career in theatre and the arts.

• Series 1, which ran in Autumn 2021, attracted an audience of 224 people from across the UK and around the world, including, Canada, Greece, Germany, North America and many more.
• Series 2, which starts on Tuesday 22^nd March 2022, focuses on breaking new ground and explores what that could mean in practice both personally and artistically to theatre practitioners.

Each 75-minute session will be rich with information and experience from professional theatre artists and creatives who will share their work, their process and their vision to help artists energise their thinking and take actionable steps to build their careers in theatre and break new ground in their practice.

From getting started as freelancer and budgeting for shows, to writing with AI, writing for screen and using theatre to bring difficult stories into the open, to balancing the role of writer and performer, getting creative with being creative, and developing new immersive techniques – The Sessions will cover a range of different approaches to breaking new ground in theatre, with plenty of opportunities to interact with the speakers and ask questions too.

Alex O’Toole, founder of Good Creator said,

“Quality, affordable and accessible professional development can be hard to find when you’re a freelancer. It’s always a choice between earning and training, and in today’s climate, it’s a choice that most of us can’t afford to make. Often the development opportunities available are expensive, located miles away, part of a residential, or they’re held at times that simply won’t work for artist parents or carers.

Good Creator aims to bring genuinely interesting and useful development opportunities directly to where the artists and creatives are, regardless of their level of expertise or personal circumstance. The Sessions are part of that offering, and I’m delighted to be working in partnership with The Dukes once again to offer an exciting and accessible option for theatre- makers.”

Karen O’Neill, of The Dukes, said,

“The Dukes is excited to be working with Good Creator and Lancaster University once again on another season of the Good Creator sessions. Working with a range of artists and creative professionals these sessions provide insight for theatre-makers looking to enhance their work and gain knowledge about working within the creative sector. They also provide a chance for emerging artists to connect and learn from their peers.”

The series starts Tuesday 22^nd March, 6pm - 7.30pm, with an online session led by writer and actor, John Rwothomack, on The Dual Role of Writer & Performer and will run regularly on Tuesday evenings before ending on Tuesday 24^th May with a session on Telling Uncomfortable Truths, led by Mick, from Bent Architect, whose new show, Full English, will be showing at The Dukes on Friday 3^rd June 2022. In addition to the online sessions, there are also three in-person sessions taking place at The Dukes.

A small number of sessions within the programme will be held in person at The Dukes and at LICA at Lancaster University. These in-person sessions will be made available for a limited period as digital recordings to all sign ups following the event, enabling those further afield to access and benefit from them in their own time.

The full programme of sessions in this series includes:

The Dual Role of Writer & Performer with John Rwothomack

• 6pm – 7.30pm, Online, 22^nd March 2022

Creating & Managing Budgets For Theatre with Steph Connell

• 6pm – 7.30pm, Online, 29^th March 2022

Mischief In Creative Practice with Keir Cooper

• 6pm – 7.30pm, Online, 19^th April 2022

Voice in Fiction & Theatre with Rose Biggin

• 6pm – 7.30pm, Online, 26^th April 2022

Crowdfunding For The Arts with Jo Breeze

• -6pm – 7.30pm, Online, 3^rd May 2022

The Ghost In The Machine: Writing with AI with Ali Matthews

• -4.30pm – 6pm, In Person at The Dukes, Monday 9^th May 2022

Writing for Screen with Drew Hubbard

• -4.30pm – 6pm, In Person at The Dukes, Tuesday 10^th May 2022

Setting Yourself Up As A Creative Freelancer with Porl Cooper

• -4.30pm – 6pm, In Person at The Dukes, Monday 16^th May 2022

Making Data Driven Theatre with Clare Duffy (Civic Digits)

• -6pm – 7.30pm, Online, Tuesday 17^th May

Telling Uncomfortable Truths Through Theatre with Mick (Bent Architect)

• -6pm – 7.30pm, Online, Tuesday 24^th May 2022

All sessions are free to attend, but tickets must be booked in advance to secure a spot.

Tickets for all sessions are available to book now at: goodcreator.org/the-sessions

This series of The Sessions at The Dukes is funded Lancaster University. Follow Good Creator on Twitter @GoodCreator and The Dukes @TheDukesTheatre

dukeslancaster.org