Stiwdio Clwyd, Wales’ National Artist Development Studio, has announced the first cohort of artists for Sparks, a flagship programme designed to support theatre-maker through bespoke development funded by Arts Council Wales.

Developed in response to conversations with hundreds of freelance creatives across Wales, Sparks brings together fifteen Welsh and Wales-based theatre-makers working in both English and Welsh. The programme supports artists in questioning their existing practice, providing time, resources, and mentorship to make significant change and build more sustainable creative careers.

Sparks is delivered through three distinct strands. Sparks Open offers participants mentorship alongside a residency at Theatr Clwyd. Sparks Mini provides a six-month paid mentorship programme for artists seeking focused development support. Sparks Partnership is delivered in collaboration with six Welsh arts organisations: Frân Wen, Theatr Cymru, RCTC, Loyalty Arts, Jhoom, and Welsh National Opera. Together, these strands are building dynamic, long-term infrastructure to impact the future of theatre-making in Wales.

The newly announced cohort includes Complicité associate Catherine Alexander, lighting designer Katy Morrison, Gagglebabble co-founder and composer Lucy Rivers, award-winning performance poet Tia Camilleri, community arts theatre-makers Felicity Goodman, inter-disciplinary artist and disability rights activist Jeremy Linnell, multi-disciplinary artist Gwen Thomson, movement practitioners Anthony Matsena, Jodi Ann Nicholson and David Bolitho, designer Lois Prys, bilingual poet Clare Potter, and writer-performers Leo Drayton, Nia Gandhi and Teleri Hughes. The mentors for include multi-award-winning playwrights Chris Bush and Kaite O’Reilly, acclaimed directors Blanche McIntyre, Jude Christian and Steffan Donnelly, and industry-leading lighting designer Bruno Poet.

Suzanne Bell, Director of Stiwdio Clwyd, said:
"Artists across Wales told us what they needed: time and space to develop without the pressure to produce. We’re proud that this inaugural cohort represents the breadth and ambition of theatre-making in Wales, working alongside so many vital organisations and extraordinary mentors."

The programme is supported by Arts Council Wales.