A group of people at various standing postitions in a studio.

Skills Week

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Are you interested in family theatre? Do you want to develop your skills in storytelling? On this paid weeklong course, you will have the opportunity to work with Tall Stories’ Artistic Director Toby Mitchell, as well as other Tall Stories Creatives. The week will cover the following skills: direct address narration and storytelling, movement, puppetry and singing. When taking part in the course you will develop these skills in a supportive and fun environment. 

When and where is the course? 

The course will run from Monday 29 June – Friday 3 July 2026, 10am – 5pm at the Tall Stories Studio, 68 Holloway Road, London, N7 8JL. 

Who is the course for?  

We are inviting applications from performers aged 18 and over. There are 20 spaces available for the course. 

This is not an introductory course, so you will need to have some experience and/or training in performing on stage professionally and/or in amateur dramatics. We are looking for performers who are excited about telling engaging stories and who are committed to developing their career in performance. 

We are committed to identifying and reducing barriers which may ordinarily exclude people from continued professional development. We particularly encourage applications from people whose backgrounds or lived experience are underrepresented in previous applications to our artist development opportunities. This includes people from the global majority, carers and people from low socio-economic backgrounds. 

Please feel free to mention this in your application (though this is not a compulsory requirement). 

Financial info 

This course is free and we are providing a financial contribution to all participants amounting to £518.00 (London Living Wage). If you live outside of London and need financial assistance with travel, please let us know when you apply, and we’ll take this into consideration at point of offer.  

How to apply  

Please download and complete the application form and send it to Fiona Bines at artistdevelopment@tallstories.org.uk. 

Please also download the Information Pack for more information. 

The application process will involve videoing yourself performing one of the texts provided and uploading it as an unlisted video to YouTube or Vimeo. Please title your video with your first and last name then ‘Skills Week 2026’.  

You will also need to answer some questions.  These may be answered in writing or as a video or audio file. All formats will be equally considered.  

Please apply as soon as you can, but no later than 9am, 27 April 2026. 

All applicants will know the outcome of their application no later than 11 May 2026. 

If you have any questions, or if you would like this call out information or the application form in another format, please contact Fiona Bines at artistdevelopment@tallstories.org.uk or 020 8348 0080.  

Top tips for filming self-tapes 

  • Make sure you are well lit, with the light source in front of you and do not film with your back to a window. 
  • Try to keep background noise to a minimum and make sure that we can hear you clearly. 
  • We recommend that you film in landscape, not portrait. 
  • Place the camera at eye level and try not to stand too close. We would like to see your whole upper body, waist to head.  
  • Relax, and engage us in the story you are telling – talk directly to the camera and as if you are talking to a single grown-up, not to a child or children. 
  • We are not necessarily looking for technique, above all we are looking for a twinkle in your eye. 

Please click this link to see an example of a self-tape, from of our Tall Stories performers Alastair Chisholm. 

Equal Opportunities 

Tall Stories is committed to equality of opportunity and access for all. We strive to create an inclusive environment that reflects our community’s values and respects diversity. 

We ensure that no person is unfairly discriminated against in our recruitment and selection policies and procedures. We actively welcome applications from those currently underrepresented in our workforce and industry.  

Your application and any associated personal information will be stored and processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy and destroyed after six months.   

We look forward to receiving your application – thank you for your interest!   

Skills Week 2026 Application Form
Skills Week 2026 Information Pack
Large Print Information Pack – Skills Week 2026
Plain Text Information Pack – Skills Week 2026
Self Tape Script Option One
Self Tape Script Option Two
A woman at a piano with music on looking out over a group of actors.
A group of actors diagonally lined up singing.
A group of people making a puppet out of a cardboard box.
A group of people in a studio making a a puppet using various materials. They are holding the puppet uo from the floor.
A group of people gatheredd around a cream cloth puppet on the floor. They are controlling the puppet.
A group of people gatheredd around a cream cloth puppet on the floor. They are controlling the puppet.
Actors in a studio each with one arm up in the air like a giraffe
A group of people in a studio gathered around a book on the floor.

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A man in the middle of dancing and looking jubilant. He is wearing a bright blue hat and gilet and brown trouser. There is a woman dressed similarly behind him and also dancing

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What the Creative Community offers:

  • Alerts on any casting callouts
  • Invitations to be part of Tall Stories creative programmes
  • Employment opportunities – as and when these arise
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