FORGE

A development scheme for emerging theatre companies. 

FORGE gives emerging theatre companies the resources and platform to refine and develop their artistic voice. Four exceptional emerging companies are attached to Southwark Playhouse for 9 months. They receive free rehearsal space to R&D ideas, dramaturgical support from the Southwark Playhouse senior artistic team and a week long slot to platform a show in The Little space. The scheme also provides industry mentorship and bespoke workshops from the playhouse team to guide and empower them in this creative journey. 

This year’s cohort consists of Shepard Tone, Visual Sauce, Speakbeat Collective and November Theatre.
Read more about them below:

SHEPARD TONE

Shepard Tone are Hannah Follows, Tim Chapman, Adam Gregory, Alex Hick and Jess Donn. They make unashamedly fun, interactive work about cultural phenomena to tell fascinating stories you haven’t heard before. It’s formally experimental theatre you don’t need a degree for.

Shepard Tone’s work is multimedia and exists to be live, not treating the audience as passive watchers, but as collaborators. Their shows invite, rather than force, their audiences to get involved as much or as little as they like, placing emphasis on audience autonomy, and change based on what the audience do. 

They aim to create experiences and activities for their audiences, and believe in the power of gathering people together with a shared interest to build communities. Theatre doesn’t have to be for “theatre people”, but can still be groundbreaking, exciting, and (fingers crossed!) award-winning. 

In FORGE, Shepard Tone will focus on collaboration in the devising process as well as during the final show, and will be making their second show in the Cultural Phenomenon Trilogy – the first part of which was sell out hit Coming Out of My Cage (And I’ve Been Doing Just Fine).

VISUAL SAUCE

Visual Sauce is a multi-award-winning production company, founded and led by Mwansa Phiri, in collaboration with Kizzi Barazetti and Emmanuella Damptey. They are dedicated to discovering new writing and creating work that drives social change through impactful storytelling. Their focus on creativity and innovation allows them to amplify underrepresented voices, bringing unique narratives to life across theatre, film, and immersive productions.

They have previously produced work at VAULT Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Peckham Fringe. Through FORGE, they aim to refine their artistic voice and push the boundaries of their creative work, by exploring new approaches to creativity and theatre-making. As part of the scheme, they will be producing Positive, a new play by Temi Majekodunmi. This coming-of-age queer story, centred on friendship, love, and identity, was developed through the Bush Theatre’s Emerging Writers Group. It was shortlisted for the Mustapha Matura Award 2023 and the New Diorama Untapped Award 2024. 

SPEAKBEAT COLLECTIVE

Speakbeat Collective is a multidisciplinary theatre company; telling stories with soundtracks. Co-founders Annice Boparai, Ella Zgorska and Sarah Huckin are theatre artists that connected through their shared desire to amplify stories. Building on their own experiences as actors, writers and directors, Speakbeat have curated events in spaces including The Bush Theatre, platforming underrepresented voices through poetry, DJ’ing and dance. Tapping into their mission to encourage audiences to ‘listen with their hearts’. Speakbeat is excited for this next chapter of theatre making with FORGE. Using this opportunity to establish their artistic identity in a new generation of theatre makers, build on their wonderful community and platform their latest project that they can’t wait to share very soon!

NOVEMBER THEATRE

November Theatre is an award winning new works company, creating theatre hand in hand with the communities whose stories they tell. From new writing, to devised work, to national engagement projects, November Theatre centres community and creativity in everything they produce. Their first show, how to build a wax figure, was The Stage’s Top Picks of the Fringe in 2022, and their second show PITCH won the Charlie Hartill Fund with Pleasance for Edinburgh 2023, going on to national tour after rave reviews. November Theatre is thrilled to be a FORGE company, and to work with Southwark Theatre and their outreach team to develop a brand new show for young audiences. The show will be Directed by Artistic Director Nell Bailey, written by associate Isabella Waldron and designed by associate Ellie Roser.