At Birmingham Hippodrome, we work to support local artists and companies.
We believe in Birmingham and the West Midlands, and want to do everything we can to make sure that the creative talent of our region is able to develop, thrive, and make careers from a base here.
Our New Work & Artist Development team has been created to make the Hippodrome a vibrant and supportive home for West Midlands creatives with regular activity on weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, seasonal and annual cycles.
All of our opportunities are for Creatives who are 18+. You can check out the Take Part page for opportunities for Young People.
Hear more about the team and their work by checking out the video below!
Live Opportunities & Upcoming Events
Hippodrome Creatives
For artists, producers and creatives living or working in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
Origins Festival
Celebrating new work at Birmingham’s newest theatre festival in May 2026!
New Earth Theatre Maker Academy Plus Showcase
Join us in celebrating the voices of British East and Southeast Asian artists in the Midlands! Taking place on Sunday 22 February, as part of Birmingham Hippodrome’s Chinese New Year Festival.
Writer’s Block
Our next Writer’s Block is on Wednesday 25 February! A free to attend scratch night for artists to test early ideas to a supportive audience.
Upcoming Workshops
Pitching for Writers Workshop with Deirdre O’Halloran
Are you a playwright that would like to know how to get your play successfully commissioned by a theatre? Join us for a free workshop with Deirdre O’Halloran on Wednesday 25 February.
Theatre & Movement with Ashlee Elizabeth-Lolo and Francesca Robson
In this session, we’ll explore the power of movement and physical storytelling. Writer Ashlee Elizabeth-Lolo will help you shape your idea and Movement Director Francesca Robson will lead you into bringing it to life, on Friday 20 March. You don’t need to come in with a prepared piece!
Making work for Outdoor Arts Festivals with Matt Evans
In this workshop Matt Evans will talk you through how you can develop ideas for outdoor/public space, commissioning, key production realities – thinking about weather, environment, technical limitations and working for mixed and first-time audiences. You do not need to have previously made work for outdoor spaces to attend this workshop. On Wednesday 29 April.
Ongoing Projects
Connect: South Asian Artists
A two day residency for South Asian artists to meet, network, and develop their practice together.
Gathering
Birmingham Hippodrome, MAIA and Talawa are working together with a growing cohort of local Black artists to develop craft and support an artistic community.
Hippodrome Origins
Hippodrome Origins is an 18-month artist development programme for creatives in the West Midlands who make theatre.
We welcomed our first cohort in November 2024, and they will be sharing new work in Spring 2026.
New Earth Theatre Maker Academy Plus
A six-month part time course for Midlands based East Asian and South East Asian performers and theatre makers in partnership with New Earth Theatre.
Writer’s Block
A scratch night for artists to test early ideas to a supportive audience.
Playspace
Playspace allows a different artist or team access to space at Birmingham Hippodrome to explore an idea.
Workshops
We offer a programme of workshops for Creatives, focusing on developing craft and expanding skills.