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Homegrown at Nottingham Playhouse is a pre-professional development programme for committed and experienced directors and writers, who are keen to work professionally in the industry.

Homegrown Creatives takes the form of a Creative Company made up of a maximum of 12 individuals who are selected through interviews.

Through weekly sessions, the programme is devoted to nurturing talent by providing professional training through workshops, discussions, mentoring and networking in the creative community.  Homegrown provides guidance on all aspects of the business, mentoring from industry professionals, CV surgeries, rehearsal techniques and much more.

The culmination of the programme, which takes place over three terms, is a series of one-act plays, written and directed by the Homegrown Creatives, performed in the Neville Studio at Nottingham Playhouse by members of Homegrown Performers.

Homegrown Creatives is for ages 18 -25.

Homegrown Creatives is led by Natalia Bruce.

Recent Homegrown graduate Nicki said:

‘I just wanted to say thank you for the last couple of years of homegrown, though, directing the show really showed me what I have learned and the confidence I’ve gained as a writer and director. Directing someone else’s work felt like a good way to solidify that.

Thank you for your mentorship and support in getting me to this point! I know I’m in a good place now to take what I’ve learned into future work.’

Recent Homegrown graduate Natalie said:

‘Homegrown has been such a fun experience that has helped me hone theatre making skills and decide where to take my career in the future. It has allowed me to meet local creatives at a similar stage in their careers to make work with and experiment with different production roles through practice. The sessions progress from workshops and Q&As with helpful industry professionals through to making work of your own with your own cast and creative teams. I’ve really enjoyed my year with Homegrown between my undergrad and postgrad degrees, and I thoroughly recommend this to anyone considering a career in theatre.’

Recent Homegrown Director Octavia Nyombi said:

‘The Homegrown Team at the Playhouse are so invaluable. They take time to listen to our goals and match us with the learning and opportunities to achieve them. Homegrown has been crucial to my professional development in the arts scene. At a time when being in a rehearsal room felt so distant, Homegrown has been such a freeing environment, where we’ve been able to share and reflect on past experiences and home in on the type of artists we want to be. Through Homegrown, we created a small theatre community which gave me so much to look forward to each week. And has given me continued friends and collaborations into the future.’

Megan Gates (2021 Homegrown cohort) said:

‘Homegrown was a fantastic program which equipped me with a range of skills and gave me invaluable experiences. Watching incredible local theatre and discussing it with other creatives gave me access to an assortment of work and allowed me to engage critically with it. Frequent workshops with professionals including directors, writers and designers gave insight into the variety and responsibilities of different roles in the industry. The major project enabled us to create a production from scratch and then to present it to a panel of experts, equipping us with vital experience in conceptualisation and pitching. Since completing Homegrown I have completed an MA Theatre Directing at Royal Holloway and am now working on a series of adaptations with Chronic Insanity as well as with a friend from my course. I can’t recommend Homegrown enough.’

Charlotte Cox (2020/21 Homegrown cohort) said: 

‘Homegrown is such an amazing program, which provides you with an invaluable toolkit for starting out in the industry. It was a great experience to work in a likeminded community of young people, and to explore our ideas in such a supportive and encouraging environment. Weekly workshops and Q&A sessions enabled us to meet and be inspired by some industry professionals, and tasks such as pitching to a panel of experts, and creating our own pieces for the festival from scratch allowed me to gain an endless range of skills – and have the confidence to develop my own ideas! If you are looking to learn more about the theatre industry, then I cannot recommend Homegrown enough.’