As 2026 gets underway, we caught up once more with our Future Leaders. In this part of the series, Will reflects on the first months of the programme - the projects he’s been involved in, the new ways of working he’s been learning, and the moments that have surprised and inspired him along the way.
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What have you been working on since the start of the Future Leaders programme?
Well, I did a lot of things, some amazing things, meeting some incredible people, getting to know the artists of the company.
A highlight for me was attending the IETM conference in Bradford, where I got to meet and discuss issues and art with the members of the international artistic community, that was so exciting and invigorating. I’ve also been planning the Future Lab, which is an artist exploration and development for the artists in the company, that is happening this February and March. I’ve been getting to know the company, its structures, the organisation, the artists, the everyday workings of the organisation.
I’ve also been exploring access within my own practice, so really exploring how I curate access within a room, and how I create work through that. Generally, just deepening my understanding of my artistry, the kind of work I want to make, the ways I want to make it, the type of work that suits my practise and can be explored and evolved through the Future Leaders Programme
Has anything about the experience surprised you so far?
I’ve been surprised at how comfortable I’ve been able to feel in my own body during class – to feel really exploratory and not to feel held back at all by any tension or anxiety around exploring new movement. I just feel so free within the environment. I thought that I had a really good grasp on my own body, in the way that I could explore the space through improvisation, but doing the Future Leaders has made me realise that actually I have a lot more to learn, and a longer way to go to really feel true freedom in the expression of my body.
I’m also surprised at how being so well supported within access makes my work and my communication so much better. Again, I thought that I was doing alright job of those things, but actually just having the capability to have access really taken care of, just makes my work so much better, in that I feel much more capable. I’ve been surprised at the level of which that changed my entire work.
Was anything challenging? How did you deal with it?
So, I navigated the organisational structures and processes that I am not used to, but it was a bit of a challenge. I’m not used to working over several projects at the same time, I’m used to being very project and goal focused, and going for that project and finishing it then moving on to the next one. So, the juggling act, the balancing of holding a whole company, has been a little bit of a challenge, but it is one I have really enjoyed.
Working with a team with incredibly different backgrounds has been a really good way to challenge myself to be more open minded in my thinking and my approach.
I’ve also been challenged by the different pace of work; the pace is very different. It takes a lot longer to form work, to create and to work through material. I’ve really enjoyed adjusting – to being able to deep dive into it, because there’s more time, there’s more care that can be given to the exploration.
Is there a particular highlight or moment from the past three months that stands out to you?
So, for me the Policy Making workshop at the IETM conference was so interesting and a real highlight. It highlighted to me the way I operate, the way I think, the kind of artist that I want to be. I’ve already started to move forward with implementing some policies that I’m going to pilot with Stopgap.
Another highlight is feeling truly free in company class. Feeling really able to express myself and free from judgement from myself. It feels incredible to be in a company with people that are so supportive and so focused on excellence and also access.
Another one of my top highlights was a specific conversation with Lucy Bennett, one of our Co-Artistic Directors. We talked about the importance of visual art, our influences, and how that impacts us in the room creating work, even when we don’t realise. It just made so much sense to me and really solidified my thinking around my practice.
One of the major highlights was seeing Lived Fiction. I just felt so seen, heard, supported as an audience member. It was truly incredible. It is just a fantastic piece of theatre, and dance, and art, and access. It was a major highlight for me.
What have you enjoyed most so far?
Something I have really enjoyed, is moving without pressure. Just having a space that is held really well by my collaborators and the other artists in the room and my contemporaries.
I found working with the same group over the extended period of time to be really rewarding and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know everyone in the company. Often my projects before have been very focus based, so you do a project for a short amount of time and then it finishes. Whereas this, I’m really getting to see a journey and an arc within my collaboration and my understanding of artists and the way that we work together. I’ve really enjoyed learning about the artists as individuals and how they each contribute to the organisation, to the creation of work, to the company, to the vibe. I’ve found it interesting and hugely enjoyable to be in a room full of these other incredible people.
I think I’m enjoying being part of a company where I truly feel a sense of belonging. There’s no outside pressure to mask or to feel like I have to fit in, I kind of just naturally do. It’s such an accepting group of people that still manage to push and challenge me artistically, academically, organisationally. I feel so comfortable and yet so challenged simultaneously, and I really enjoy being pushed in such a brave environment.
