SparkFest Workshops
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Find your spark: SparkFest launches workshops to boost your arts career
Saturday, 7 June, 2025SparkFest, BSU’s annual performing arts festival, is currently in the midst of its seventh year, with its biggest programme to date.
Created to showcase emerging talent from BSU’s School of Music and Performing Arts, the festival has snowballed into a five-week celebration of theatre, dance, music, and research featuring BSU students, staff, and professionals. With between one to six shows per day, SparkFest is a busy time for all involved.
Reflecting on the intensity of the festival season, the SparkFest team said:
“Festival season is always jam-packed, which is exciting, but can be equally as stressful – it's a more crucial time than ever for creatives to be prioritising their physical and emotional wellbeing.”
Artist wellbeing and professional development have always been central to SparkFest’s ethos, and this year, that commitment comes to full fruition. The SparkFest team have organised a series of workshops and talks, delivered by industry professionals, that aim to equip creatives with invaluable knowledge and skills for a career as a freelance artist.
Each session has been tailored to address specific challenges faced by early-career creatives, such as the intricacies of applying for fringe festivals, the demands of building a strong professional network, or the difficulties surrounding the balance between workload and personal wellbeing.
Sam De La Torre, Assistant Producer of SparkFest, commented on this new adjustment:
“SparkFest has always been about empowering new voices through a platform to share new, exciting and bold work from graduating students, alumni and staff. This year we’re placing just as much importance on looking after the people behind the work, and empowering them to focus inward also.
"In a world that pushes artists to be constantly making new work, and finding new ideas, these workshops and talks offer space to reflect, to grow and to recognise that wellbeing is essential to a sustainable creative life, not just the products that come from it!”
Last weekend marked the start of this series of workshops and talks, with a workshop from BA Dance Graduates and current members of staff, Silvia Cardarelli-Gronau and Louis Green. Their movement-based workshop, titled Movement for Wellbeing, was aimed at creatives from all disciplines who are interested in movement practices as a method of fostering creative, emotional and physical wellbeing. It was a success, receiving positive feedback from its participants and raising further interest towards the remainder of this year’s workshops and talks series.
SparkFest returns with its second set of workshops and talks this Sunday 8 June at Widcombe Social Club:
- Movement Workshop for Dancers and Actors with Xavier De Santos
- Networking & Profiling: A Talk with Pete Francombe from Tabb
- Joshua Beaumont - So You Want to Take a Show to the Edinburgh Fringe
SparkFest are offering entry to Sunday’s workshops and talks for £3, or £2 individually. If you're interested in booking onto any of the sessions, you can through the SparkFest website.