Find out exactly what goes into an Origins residency from Headlong’s Production Co-ordinator and Origins lead, Carla-Marie Metcalfe.
6 years of Origins - what a feat! That’s 6 years of enabling emerging theatre directors across the country to develop their directorial practice, enhance their skills and make connections. Six years of empowering them to achieve their creative goals.
In my time at Headlong, lead producing the Origins programme, I've had the pleasure of joining the directors on this journey and facilitating these opportunities for them.
Today we head into the second of the 2026 residencies. This is a sneak peak into what they will be up to. Four days, four venues, five directors from across the country and a whole lot to take in!
Our Origins cohort will be joining us in Manchester for a jam-packed residency built around our Fences tour at HOME. The programme will feature masterclasses in climate dramaturgy, lighting design and creative access, as well as frank conversations with Artistic Directors and leading voices from the industry. This is four days of connection, shared experiences and bond building, and an opportunity to see the breadth of the industry beyond London.
Read on for more!
Day 1 - Inside the Royal Exchange Theatre
First up, the Origins directors will enjoy a workshop with Emma Baggot, Associate Director at the Royal Exchange Theatre. We’ll be delving into Emma’s directing practice, directing for a theatre venue, as well as exploring how theatre venues approach programming work and creating their own productions.
As well as all the experience on offer from Emma, this is also a great opportunity to get comfortable in the space at the Royal Exchange.
Next up is a Q&A with the Royal Exchange’s Artistic Director Selina Cartmel. The floor will be open for the cohort to ask an Artistic Director whatever questions are useful to them, from career progression or directing practice, to strategic planning and the ins-and-outs of leading a venue.
Day 1 comes to a close with an evening performance of the Royal Exchange's production of King Lear adapted and directed by Matthew Dunster starring David Threlfall.
Image: Helen Murray
Day 2 - Climate, lighting and Bolton Octagon
On Day 2, the cohort will make the short journey to Bolton, for a day with our Associate partners at the Octagon Theatre.
We'll be joined by Luke McDonnell from Ergon Theatre, one of the UK’s leading climate theatre companies, who’ll be running the morning session on Climate Dramaturgy. Ergon Theatre’s work uses art and theatre performance to bridge the gap between the scientific and academic community and the public.
This is close to our heart at Headlong, given our work with the Theatre Green Book and our commitment to sustainable theatre making and touring.
It's vital for us that emerging theatre directors are thinking about this as part of their practice, and we’re increasingly interested in exploring how the theatre we make can be relevant to the climate crisis. We hope this session will be an eye opening and inspiring in equal measure.
While we’re at the Octagon, the cohort will have the chance to connect with the team there, as well as exploring the space, before heading into the afternoon session.
This will be a Lighting Design masterclass with Andrew Exeter.
Andrew has designed for theatre and musicals in London and regionally, and has worked across multiple scales of venue, throughout his career.
We’ve found sessions with other experienced creatives, like this, to be incredibly useful for the Origins directors.
They offer a deep dive into the working relationship that exists between a director and other creative team members, as well as demystifying the technicalities of the work they do as part of the creative producing partnership.
We'll end our day in Bolton with an evening performance of The Highwayman, a visiting production from the John Godber Company.
Image: Piers Allardyce
Day 3 - HOME, The Lowry and Fences
Back to HOME for a workshop and Q&A with Daniel Bailey, Director of our current production, Fences.
Image: Tyler Fayose
In between residencies, the cohort were all given the opportunity to spend two days each in rehearsals with Daniel and the Fences cast.
This is a chance to rejoin Daniel at a very different stage of the process to dig a little deeper into his work with the production, as well as his general experience as both a freelance Director and venue Artistic Director.
After lunch they’re off to The Lowry for a matinee of It Walks Around The House At Night; a ThickSkin production of a chilling new play by Tim Foley, directed by Neil Bettles.
The rest of the afternoon offers some time off to explore the city, before joining us back at HOME that evening for our Manchester finale performance of Fences. Their opportunity to see the show that they’ve followed in development, brought to life on the stage.
Day 4 - getting creative with Access
We come together for one final masterclass on Sunday morning. This one focuses on Creative Access in theatre, led by Ben Wilson. This is an area that at Headlong we’re learning more and more about with each new piece of work we make; and a vital part of any emerging directors experience and practice around future theatre making.
Ben is a blind actor, director and Audio Description consultant who worked with us on our Creatively Audio Described performance of ROBOTA with Hear The Picture. He’ll be joined by Amy Leach, a freelance Director and former Associate Director and Deputy Artistic Director of Leeds Playhouse.
ROBOTA Image: Helen Murray
Amy is at the top of her game when it comes to integrated access in theatre, with years of experience directing shows with creative access at its heart. She is also a proud Board member of Ramps on the Moon, and a passionate advocate for creatively accessible theatre.
Amy and Ben will be joined by our very own Origins 6 cohort member, Ciaran Stewart to facilitate the masterclass.
As well as being a deaf theatre director, Ciaran is also an experienced BSL consultant. He will bring a valuable perspective on BSL interpreted theatre into the conversation, as well as insider knowledge of the experience of being an Origins Director.
This full circle moment will bring what we hope will be an inspiring, informative and empowering few days to a close.
Four days of exploring, learning and observing, but also a hugely important chance to connect, network, form bonds and share experiences together as a group.
Providing these opportunities to make these connections outside London is another way that we, as a national touring company, can offer emerging theatre makers a broader insight to the whole landscape of the theatre-making industry across the UK.
