A Hippodrome Creatives Residency

Connect is part of Birmingham Hippodrome’s offer to artists in the Hippodrome Creatives community who have expressed a need for spaces where South Asian* artists can meet, network, and develop their practice together.

In July 2025, we invited South Asian theatre artists in the West Midlands to make new connections and nourish old ones, learn from leading South Asian practitioners, and share ideas and food together. Aksa Saghir from South Asian Theatre facilitated an open space discussion to welcome our 35 artists, followed by workshops on directing with Sameena Hussain, movement with Shane Shambhu, and playwrighting with Sonali Bhattacharyya.

“Having the chance to network with local South Asian creatives , get advice as well as being immersed into incredible workshops across a range of creative practices by South Asian practitioners was an opportunity I’d been yearning for that I haven’t seen before or had access to!” – Connect participant, July 2025

Participant Karen Johal has written an inspiring blog post for Spotlight about her experience of the July 2025 Connect event: 10 Things I Learned at a South Asian Artist Residency.

Connect is an ongoing programme, with more opportunities to be announced. If you would like to know when the next event might be, you can register your interest here.

* This opportunity is for artists who identify as South Asian. We are guided, but not limited, by the definitions of organisations such as Minority Rights Group and South Asian Heritage Month; we welcome artists of Afghan, Bangladeshi, Bhutanese, Indian, Maldivian, Nepalese, Pakistani and Sri Lankan heritage, including those of mixed South Asian heritage who identify as such.