Theatre Lab: making space for educators to learn, play and rediscover their creativity.
When was the last time you stepped into a rehearsal room and someone else was leading?
No lesson plan to deliver. No students to direct. No assessment criteria to think about. Just the opportunity to explore, experiment, make mistakes and see where the creative process takes you.
It's something educators in our ISTA community have been asking for. Those who have experienced TAPS with their students have shared a similar thought: wouldn't it be wonderful if there was something like this for teachers?
A TAPS for teachers. I love that idea.
And it's where Theatre Lab began.
Making space for our own learning
As theatre educators, we spend so much of our time creating space for others to learn and grow. We encourage our students to take creative risks, collaborate and discover new possibilities. But how often do we get to do the same?
There's something particularly valuable about having time to develop as creative practitioners ourselves. To learn through doing, work alongside others and experience the joy of making theatre without always being the person leading it.
That's what we wanted to create with Theatre Lab. A chance to step away from our usual roles and invest in our own creative development.
Back in the rehearsal room
Theatre Lab takes place in London (6–7 February 2027) and Singapore (22–23 May 2027), with just 20 educators at each event.
Over two days, participants will work directly with professional theatre-makers across three artist-led workshops, each offering a different approach to creating, directing and performing.
London: directing, devising and Commedia dell'Arte
Kerry Frampton, Artistic Director of Splendid Productions, brings her experience of bold, physical theatre to a workshop on Brecht and directing. Participants will explore how Brechtian techniques can shape performance and influence their decisions as directors.
Ned Glasier, founder of Company Three and creator of acclaimed work with young people, including Brainstorm, approaches theatre-making through devising and collaboration. His workshop will explore what happens when we make space for different voices and allow ideas to develop collectively.
Chiara D'Anna, director, performer and creator of ISTA's Encore Commedia programme, approaches theatre through movement, character and physical storytelling. Her Commedia dell'Arte workshop brings play and experimentation into the room, inviting participants to explore character, movement and the possibilities of physical storytelling.
Singapore: applied theatre, puppetry and comedy
Zirui Grace Khoo, founder of Access Path Productions, Singapore's first disability-led theatre company, brings her experience of applied theatre and inclusive performance. Her work places accessibility, collaboration and authentic expression at the centre of theatre-making, encouraging participants to reconsider who theatre is for and how people can take part.
Bright Ong, a theatre-maker, director and puppetry specialist, explores the storytelling possibilities of objects, movement and materials. In his workshop, participants will experiment with how something as simple as an object can take on character, meaning and life in performance.
Shanice Stanislaus, an award-winning performer, theatrical clown and educator, brings comedy scripting and clowning into the rehearsal room. Drawing on her training with Philippe Gaulier and Spymonkey, she'll explore how humour, character, timing and play can bring comedic ideas to life.
More than just the workshops
Alongside the artist-led sessions, we'll make time to reflect on what we've experienced and consider how these approaches might connect with our teaching, supported by guided curriculum sessions.
Both Theatre Labs also include a professional live theatre performance, giving everyone a chance to experience and discuss theatre together as an audience.
And then there's the chance to connect with other educators, exchange ideas and build relationships that extend beyond the event. Every participant will also receive a complimentary ISTA Solo membership, with access to the ISTA Hub, where those conversations and connections can continue.
What might we take back?
I hope educators leave Theatre Lab with more than new ideas for their classrooms.
Perhaps it's renewed confidence to try something unfamiliar, a new connection or a different perspective on how theatre can be made. Or maybe it's simply the joy of reconnecting with the art form that brought us into teaching in the first place.
Because sometimes, the most valuable professional learning happens when we stop thinking about what we need to teach and give ourselves permission to learn.
We ask our students to be curious, courageous, playful and open to new possibilities every day.
Surely we should give ourselves those same opportunities.
