London’s Seven Dials Playhouse has announced the second cohort for its flagship artist development programmes, ‘first steps’ and ‘Next Step’. Launched to ease the financial pressures on theatre-makers, these initiatives provide free rehearsal space and paid development time at Equity minimum rates, supporting 15 core artists and their collaborators in 2026.
The 2026 ‘first steps’ Cohort
Designed for early-stage creative exploration, ‘first steps’ provides a funded week for groups to test bold new concepts. This year’s recipients include:
Alone, Alone and Everywhere: Written by Mei Alozie and directed by Micky McDevitt, this multi-disciplinary project explores the legacy of occultist Pamela Colman Smith and other Black, queer Victorians.
House Girl Duties: An interdisciplinary musical by Emily Olum and No Table Productions. It blends gospel music and humor to examine the pressures of growing up as a Black girl in the UK and the "eldest daughter" dynamic in African households.
The Tears of Rod Hudston / El Gran Varón: Developed by the Living Museum of HIV and lead artist Diego Agurto Beroiza, this work transforms archives and testimonies from migrant communities into a radical performance challenging HIV stigma.
Shaping Work for the Stage: ‘Next Step’
The ‘Next Step’ programme supports creators ready to refine their work for a professional audience, culminating in a work-in-progress sharing. The recipients are:
Clown Clown Baby: A part-play, part-cabaret exploration of queerness and education by Gemma Lawrence and director Emily Aboud.
Hatie Kopkins: An all-drag creative team, including Aiden Strickland and Daisy Horan, presents a high-camp musical satire skewering media provocateurs and the machinery of outrage.
New Work by Isabella Leung: An all-female ESEA (East and Southeast Asian) team explores identity and the "white male gaze" through absurdism and circus arts.
Creative Director Katie Pesskin emphasized that these initiatives allow artists to ask "urgent, imaginative questions about history, identity, and community." By providing a values-led platform, Seven Dials Playhouse continues to foster a sustainable future for distinctive voices in British theatre.
