GOOD CHANCE PRESENTS STAGE DOOR 10
- Good Chance Theatre launches Stage Door 10: a national initiative placing 10 creatives from displaced backgrounds in paid roles across major UK theatres.
- Norwich Theatre is one of 10 organisations supporting the professional journey of a new trainee.
- The initiative aims to drive systemic change in arts recruitment and ensure displaced and migrant communities are represented on and off stage
In its 10th anniversary year, pioneering refugee-led arts charity Good Chance Theatre is launching a landmark initiative: Stage Door 10. This national training programme will place 10 people from displaced backgrounds in paid creative traineeships with 10 of the UK’s leading theatre and arts organisations, supporting a new generation of diverse talent in the industry.
Good Chance is leading the call for deep, structural change in how the UK arts sector recruits and supports emerging talent from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
Norwich Theatre is proud to be a partner, alongside Bradford Producing Hub, Chichester Festival Theatre, Common/Wealth Theatre, Garsington Opera, Jermyn Street Theatre, Nimax Theatres, Oxford Playhouse, The Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Theatre Royal Plymouth.
Sam Dawson, Assistant Director, Impact and Engagement said: “We are thrilled to partner with Good Chance on their Stage Door 10 programme. Our new trainee will support our development of innovative, brave, inclusive work. We are delighted that they are someone who joined Norwich Theatre as a participant and are now going full circle to gain training as a practitioner.
“This traineeship allows us to support their professional journey whilst ensuring we have someone with lived experience that is relevant for the people with whom we are working. This programme is a reminder that learning is never one way. Our new trainee will bring insight, resilience, and creativity that will challenge and inspire us all.”
Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, Good Chance co-Founders and co-Artistic Director said: “10 placements is more than we’ve ever supported with a Stage Door placement in one year, but we’re ready to nurture the next generation of creative industry professionals.
“Especially at a time when our country is increasingly polarised around migration, we’re incredibly proud to be working with such bold, brilliant partners making a clear and public commitment to inclusion, access and the belief that displaced artists belong in our theatres, both on and off stage. Stage Door 10 allows us to spread Good Chance’s message of hope and radical inclusion nationwide, and this is only the beginning. We are thrilled to launch our most ambitious year yet.”
With a mix of open calls and tailored recruitment through local networks, the programme reflects Good Chance’s commitment to access, equity and practical change. Crucially, Stage Door 10 is not just about training individuals. It’s about training the sector – equipping partner theatres and organisations with the tools, confidence and cultural awareness to continue welcoming refugee and migrant talent long after Stage Door 10 ends.
The programme is being supported and facilitated by Good Chance’s newly appointed Deputy Artistic Director, Elias Matar – a Palestinian theatre-maker and drama therapist originally from the Galilee, who moved to the UK 10 years ago:
“I see Stage Door 10 as the perfect example of a programme flexible enough to accommodate the challenges faced by displaced artists, supporting them to introduce their art, start their journey, or build on it, and leave their mark. Shaped by the abilities and needs of both partners and trainees, Stage Door 10 also creates a new space for conversation and understanding – one that drives real, radical change in our creative industry, making it more inclusive and welcoming.”