Are you a creative living or working in Basildon?
Towngate Ensemble is our Artist Development programme for creatives 18+. The programme aims to offer a wide range of sessions and workshops to local creatives living and/or working in and around Basildon to build a supportive community of artists and changemakers. The programme aims to help support local artists and also support work being produced in the borough, whilst fostering a collective sense of support and togetherness. Membership is £25. Find out all the sessions you can be involved in below.
Creative Coffee Mornings
Join us for our monthly meets in the Upper Foyer. Our Creative Coffee Mornings are a space to network with other performers, makers, and creatives in the area whilst meeting members of the Towngate team. The sessions are open to everyone, and are our staple piece of the Ensemble programme which aims to be a supportive and nurturing space for artists to take a couple of hours out of the real world. Want to chat about your work? Looking to network with other artists from different disciplines? Looking for a space to get away from it all for a moment? Our Coffee Mornings are for you.
Book your FREE space at our next Creative Coffee Morning or Networking Night
Ensemble Scratch Nights
Our monthly scratch nights are for early stage work of a maximum of 10 minutes. These pieces of work should be new material that haven’t had an audience outing before. The sessions are free to attend for both performers, and for audiences. The events will run like an open mic night; all you need do is sign up to show something in advance, and we will decide the running order for which each piece is shown. There will be no technical support on these evenings, just you and the audience in our Gielgud Room. Each scratch night performance piece will receive a £50 stipend to make the opportunity more accessible. Scratch Nights spaces will be prioritised for our Ensemble members, however are open to all to apply.
Any technical requirements should be noted prior to the performance date. Audience feedback will be collected on the evening in the form of written notes. To submit your piece for Scratch Night as a performer, please complete the form below. To book to attend our next showcase, please visit our Scratch Night page.
Performance Lab
Facilitated by Terry Bird from New Town Films, Performance Lab is a weekly session for actors and performers to learn new skills, hone their craft, and get their creative juices flowing.
The session will run every Thursday between 7:00pm – 9:00pm at the theatre, and will have sessions based around skill building and performance craft. Special sessions will occur that focus on creating content for show reels and also self-tapes.
Sessions cost £10.00 to attend (£8.00 for ensemble members). Find more information on our sessions here.
Masterclasses and workshops
Throughout the year, Towngate Theatre will host workshops and masterclasses for our ensemble members on an ad hoc basis. These sessions are £7.00 to attend and are free for our ensemble members. These will be advertised on our Upcoming Events page and are open to anyone who feels they would benefit from the session. The sessions are first come, first served, so please book early to secure your place. Should you no longer be able to attend a session, please contact our box office team to free your space.
Join the Towngate Ensemble
Membership is £25.00. Just complete the form…
Creatives’ networking nights
Come and join us in the Gielgud Room for our next Creatives’ Networking Evening!
These events are for creatives, artists, and practitioners to connect, network, and collaborate. These sessions will be run once a month and are completely free to attend, all you need to do is book your FREE ticket online!
Light refreshments are provided for this evening and our Gielgud bar will also be open. Fancy making a night of it? Why not attend our Scratch Night beforehand?
Ensemble Facebook group
An online space for Ensemble members for networking, sharing, and discussion. Use this space to link with your fellow Ensemble members, start discussions around art and what is happening in the borough, and keep up-to-date with fellow members work and projects.
Be the first to hear about opportunities and workshops at the Towngate Theatre too. To join, send a join request to Towngate Ensemble.
Towngate Ensemble Scratch nights –
Pitch us your piece!
Thanks for your interest in performing at one of our scratch nights! Please use this form to let us know a little more about your piece and about you. Once your form has been received, a member of the team will be in touch to let you know about the outcome.
PLEASE NOTE: Completion of this form does not guarantee a spot at the next scratch night. Please keep an eye out in your emails for more information.