THE FUEL

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ARTIST
DEVELOPMENT

We offer artist training programmes that celebrate authenticity and fresh ideas. We also prioritise holistic practice and wellbeing, using imagination as a tool for healing, growth, and personal development.

▸ ENGINE

This year Tinderbox Theatre Company is launching Engine, a groundbreaking professional artist development programme designed to support ten emerging theatre-makers based in Northern Ireland. Delivered in partnership with The MAC Belfast, Engine offers a unique training-focused approach that integrates theatre-making, producing skills, and creative well-being into one holistic programme.

Over the course of a year, participants will engage in weekly contemporary theatre workshops, as well as gaining essential industry knowledge on funding, administration, and self-producing. Recognising the mental health challenges faced by artists, Engine also includes holistic creative therapy workshops, providing participants with practical tools for resilience and well-being in the sector.

Engine will result in the Incubate Festival 2026.

▸ HAP SCHOOL

The Holistic Arts Practice (HAP) School, offered by Tinderbox Theatre Company, provides specialised artist training that combines play with creative therapy techniques. This programme aims to help participants establish a healthier foundation for balance, restoration, and personal resilience.

Led by Patrick J. O’Reilly, who holds an MA in Creative Therapy and is accredited by the International Meditation Teacher and Therapists Association, the HAP School explores various topics such as the science of play, creative flow techniques, stress responses, relaxation and meditation techniques, authentic body movement, the creative manifesto, and Carl Jung’s philosophy, alongside the importance of personal space and boundaries.

These elements are designed to foster personal growth and artistic development within a supportive community.

▸ INCUBATE

Incubate is a bold celebration of new theatre in the making. Over the past six months, a group of Northern Irish artists have been supported through the Incubate Makers Network—a creative programme rooted in experimentation, collaboration, and artistic development.

This work culminates in the Incubate Festival: a showcase of theatre-in-motion—performances that explore the world around us with curiosity, creativity, and humour. These are not finished productions, but living, breathing works-in-progress that invite audiences into the heart of the creative process—offering space for feedback, conversation, and connection as each piece continues to grow.

▸ PLAY MACHINE

Through dynamic physical workshops, participants explore the craft of storytelling using movement, play methodology, and improvisation. The training focuses on developing the skills and instincts needed to create bold, physical, and imaginative theatre.

Designed for actors, dancers, directors, writers, and designers of all experience levels, Play Machine offers a liberating space to take creative risks, discover new ways of working, and connect with a wider artistic community.

Since 2017, Tinderbox has delivered Play Machine training to over 300 artists across Northern Ireland and beyond.