MONDAY 27 APRIL 10am – 4pm

A one-day course for creatives who want to strengthen collaborative practice. By CULT Cymru (Bectu, Equity, MU, WGGB)

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THE ART OF COLLABORATION

The art of collaboration is a practical one-day course aimed at directors, stage managers and educators, who are interested in building more equitable and honest working relationships. Through practical exercises and discussion we will help you to develop an understanding of how to become a better collaborator and colleague.

For whom ? Who is the target audience? What is the course level?

This course is aimed at theatre professionals who want to strengthen collaborative practice across rehearsal rooms, production teams, and learning environments.

It is particularly suited to:

• Directors working in subsidised, commercial, or independent theatre who want to deepen co-creation and improve communication with stage management, creative teams, and institutions.
• Stage Managers and Production Managers seeking tools to support clearer communication, adaptive leadership, and emotionally sustainable rehearsal processes.
• Theatre Educators, Facilitators, and Trainers working in further and higher education, conservatoires, youth theatre, or community settings who want to embed collaborative best practice into training environments.
• Early- to mid-career theatre-makers stepping into leadership roles and looking for practical frameworks to navigate power, responsibility, and collaboration in rehearsal rooms.
• Freelance practitioners and organisational staff interested in building healthier production cultures and contributing to long-term sector sustainability in Wales.

The course is especially relevant for practitioners who:

• Work across multiple roles or contexts
• Regularly collaborate across artistic, technical, and educational teams
• Are invested in ethical leadership, inclusive rehearsal rooms, and sustainable working practices

Aim of the Session.

To support theatre-makers in building stronger, clearer, and more sustainable ways of working together. This full-day session brings the ideas of the book directly into the rehearsal room, offering practical tools for directors, stage managers, and educators to improve communication, deepen co-creation, and create rehearsal cultures where both the work and the people can thrive.

Main Objectives

● Develop a shared rehearsal-room language
● Clarify roles without reinforcing hierarchy
● Use communication as a rehearsal tool
● Strengthen co-creation during the rehearsal process
● Navigate conflict with care and confidence
● Build healthier rehearsal and organisational cultures
● Leave with tools ready for immediate use

By the end of the workshop, you should be able to ….

• Apply a shared framework for collaboration within rehearsal rooms and learning environments, using a common language to support clear communication and collective decision-making across creative roles.
• Demonstrate effective collaborative communication strategies, including active listening, precise use of creative language, and the ability to translate intention across artistic and technical contexts.
• Implement co-creative rehearsal practices that encourage shared ownership, adaptive leadership, and respectful engagement throughout the production process.
• Navigate negotiation and conflict constructively, using emotional resilience, boundary-setting, and reflective practice to support creative momentum and team wellbeing.
• Contribute to sustainable rehearsal and organisational cultures by modelling collaborative leadership behaviours and embedding processes that support long-term, ethical ways of working.

What will you need to prepare or bring with you? Further information.

Participants are asked to complete a short questionnaire in advance of the session. This will invite you to reflect on your current collaborative practice and identify what you hope to gain from the course. Your responses will help shape the focus of discussions and activities, ensuring the training is as relevant, practical, and useful to your own work as possible.