APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN

Freelance Commissions 2026 – Callout for Applications

The Shape of Things to Come
(The Window)

Volcano is looking once again to commission five performers to make individual short performances (around 30 minutes) over a fortnight at our Swansea High Street venue. This is the fifth year of this freelance commission series, which began in 2022 as Solo Duets for the Future. The idea behind this initiative is to encourage performers to develop new performance modes in front of small, enthusiastic audiences.

This is the year of The Window. Our large gallery windows face the street on two sides – the front looks out onto the busy Swansea High Street with its wide pavement, and the side onto a pedestrianised lane. Your performance must use this window. Your performance might be for passers-by, or you might prefer to invite an audience into the space…

The “playing area” immediately inside the window is a 7m square. Both windows have black drapes which can be opened and closed. Your performance can be contained within the window area, or venture beyond it. The space can be adapted to your performance idea, using set dressing, simple tech, and various audience configurations. You will have a menu of objects and furnishings to choose from. The space is bright in daylight. Total blackout is not possible. There are no wings.

We’ll be looking for five pieces that use the space, and its relationship with the street, in different and imaginative ways. The performance can be about anything you wish, but (as in previous seasons) we will be looking for work that looks outward (literally or otherwise) rather than in, that communicates with audiences in surprising ways, that eschews nostalgia and navel-gazing, and that points to the future rather than dissecting the past. This is the place for utopias and dystopias, for dreams of the future, and for encountering one another in new ways.

FULL INFORMATION AND FAQS

APPLICATION FORM

Please read the FAQs before applying! When you’re ready, please submit your idea. If you have a question that isn’t answered in the FAQs, please drop us a line with your queries.

This year, applicants who have shared work at a Volcano Scratch Night in 2026 and who meet the basic eligibility criteria will be automatically advanced to the second round.