Artsadmin’s Spring/Summer 2025 Season

A photo of Tink Flaherty sitting on one side of their bench on the pebbled beach in Hastings with the sea and horizon behind them. They are in a denim outfit with maroon Dr. Martens. — Photo by Holly Revell

We’re making the most of our brilliant home, Toynbee Studios, with a sector-responsive Artist Support programme of free sessions and events that give creatives space to convene, share, network, learn, work and rest—all designed to support artists at every stage of their career. Some of the programme, our Lab Residencies, for example, are organised through invitation, but most of the programme is drop in or free to book.

Join us on the first Wednesday of every month for Morning Producers. Hosted by Artsadmin’s friendly and informed programme team, we invite you to meet fellow creatives and share what you’re working on in a relaxed environment.

We’ll be hosting a mini-series of our popular DYCP Homework Club in the lead-up to the Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP) deadline. Every Wednesday from 7 – 21 May, the artist support team will be in Toynbee Studios from 6.30pm – 9.30pm, creating space for you to work on your application, develop ideas and ask questions.

Finally, get ready for the return of London’s most anticipated queer arts networking event – Queer Clash Diary 2025! On 6 July, Raze Collective and Artsadmin are teaming up to deliver an action-packed day full of inspiring talks, networking opportunities, creative workshops, and hands-on activities. We’ve put together a programme with some of the UK’s most exciting queer artists. Be sure to save the date, register your interest and follow us on Instagram for the full programme announcement.

On the first Wednesday of every month, we invite our artist and freelancer network to join us at Toynbee Studios for Morning Producers.

Morning Producers are relaxed, informal peer-to-peer support sessions designed for freelance artists, and producers. Join us to meet fellow creatives, share what you’re working on, and spread the word about upcoming opportunities and events. We provide tea, coffee and snacks, and participants are welcome to bring their own lunch and stick around afterwards for longer conversations or co-working.

Whether you’re looking to collaborate, learn, or just connect, Morning Producers is your space to build community and spark new ideas. Morning Producers is gently facilitated by friendly members of Artsadmin’s programme team for a rotating mix of artist support and producing expertise. Please note, from June, we’re trialling shifting our regular time to 11am – 1pm to make this a bit more pocket friendly for those who travel into London.

Wednesday 7 May | 10am – 12pm| Toynbee Studios

Wednesday 4 June | 11am – 1pm| | Toynbee Studios

Wednesday 2 July | 11am – 1pm| | Toynbee Studios

Wednesday 3 September | 11am – 1pm | Toynbee Studios

This workshop series offers artists and creative practitioners a supportive environment to work on your Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice (DYCP).

We will be in Toynbee Studios from 6.30 – 9.30pm on the below dates with coffee, snacks and refreshments to welcome you and support you in your application. Throughout, Artsadmin’s producers will be on hand to provide a sounding board for thoughts or ideas, and to generally support and encourage!

These sessions are open to anybody looking for a supportive community to work on their DYCP applications. Note: ACE’s deadline for applications is 22 May.

Wednesday 7 May | 6.30 – 9.30pm | Toynbee Studios

Wednesday 14 May | 6.30 – 9.30pm | Toynbee Studios

Wednesday 21 May | 6.30 – 9.30pm | Toynbee Studios

Queer Clash Diary is all about fostering connections and igniting conversations. Kick off the day with a laid-back movement class, meet organisations scouting for queer talent, take part in our unique queer arts slow dating, and hear from some of the UK’s most exciting queer artists.

Bringing together promoters, producers, venues, performers, artists, and collectives from across London’s vibrant queer performance scene, Queer Clash Diary is your chance to connect with like-minded individuals, showcase your projects, plan for the future—and most importantly, have a blast.

Sunday 6 July | 11am – 6pm | Toynbee Studios

Meanwhile, from chance encounters with strangers to intimate glimpses into the lives of those seeking refuge in a new city, our touring programme will bring performances, installations and interactive works to new communities across the globe.

Stories of Refuge, a video installation by Beirut-based Dictaphone Group, created by Tania El Khoury and Petra Serhal, tells the story of three Syrian refugees who fled the oppression of the Assad regime in Syria and sought asylum in Munich, Germany. Dictaphone Group collaborated with the group, providing each person with a discreet camera for a day. Their only instruction: film your daily life in Munich and your favourite spots in the city. This unique installation weaves together their footage, offering an intimate portrait of refuge and belonging. Stories of Refuge will be presented as part of Mexe Festival, 23–25 May, in Porto.

Since 2018, Tink Flaherty has been taking their bench out to public locations across the country and inviting strangers to sit with them, in a quest to find authentic forms of connection. On 12 July Benched invites you to take a seat next to Tink and spark up a conversation at OneFest in Mansfield. Benched is a tender exploration of human relationships – the formative and defining ones with those close to us, and the incidental meetings with strangers that leave a lasting impression.

After stops in Finland, France, Belgium and Hungary this Winter, Cade & MacAskill’s true tale of love and transition The Making of Pinocchio heads to Latvia as part of Homo Novus Festival from 31 Aug – 5 Sept. Described as “ravishingly beautiful’ (The Arts Desk), this critically acclaimed performance celebrates the joy and boundless potential of queer imagination. If you haven’t managed to see it yet – don’t worry, we’ll be announcing new tour dates in the Autumn.

Since the beginning of the Syrian uprising in 2011, Syrian refugees have been fleeing the brutality of the regime in Syria and searching for new destinations, Munich being one of them. Many of these asylum seekers arrive to Munich by land, crossing unofficial borders, through different European countries. Beirut-based Dictaphone Group collaborated with a group of Syrian refugees who recently arrived in Munich. They gave each of these participants/collaborators a discreet camera for a day, their only instructions being to film their daily lives in Munich and their favourite spots in the city. Together they produced three videos that were first presented in a shipping container placed on a road in Munich.

Full details on how to join will be part of Mexe Festival’s programme in May.

23 – 25 May | Mexe Festival | Porto, Portugal

Benched is a unique exploration of human relationships – the formative and defining ones with those close to us, and the incidental meetings with strangers that stop us in our tracks. Through their unique style of transgentle storytelling, Tink demonstrates the radical and transformative power of offering undivided attention. At once raw and impulsive, confrontational and gentle, Benched confronts intersecting issues of class, gender, neurodivergence and marginalisation, expanding performance tropes and challenging compulsory neuronormativity.

Prepare for a tender, spontaneous and uncompromising insight into Tink’s world, told through mementos, stories and improvised exchanges.

12 July | OneFest | Mansfield, UK

Set in a fictional film studio, you are invited to go behind the scenes of Cade & MacAskill’s creative process and their relationship, and question what it takes to tell your truth.

Artists and lovers Rosana Cade and Ivor MacAskill began creating The Making of Pinocchio in 2018, developing alongside Ivor’s gender transition. In this ‘funny, clever and thoughtful two-hander, rich in playful imagery’ (The Guardian) their tender and complex autobiographical experience meets the magical story of the lying puppet who wants to be a ‘real boy’.

With an ingenious scenography designed by Tim Spooner, layered with sound by Yas Clarke, lights by Jo Palmer and cinematography from Kirstin McMahon and Jo Hellier, the show constantly shifts between fantasy and authenticity, humour and intimacy, on stage and on screen.

Homo Novus festival takes place between 31 August – 5 September. Performance dates, details and booking information will be announced in June

24 April 2025 Categories: Blog