Forge Festival

With Young People

Forge Festival is The Knotted Project’s most exciting and ambitious project to date. This annual theatre festival, now in it's 4th year, is co-designed with young people empowers creative young people across Cumbria to tell their story and make a statement through original performances that they co-create with professional artists from The Knotted Project.

A Creative Generation, Forge Festival 2025

Forge Festival, A Creative Generation’ is a unique and inspiring programme of creative activity engaging schools, communities, and early career artists in Cumbria. Over 2 years, we aim to nurture a creative generation of young people, ready to have their voices heard and create change through the power of theatre.

What’s to come in 2025?

Now in its fourth year, Forge Festival will return to Windermere Jetty Museum in 2025 and planning is already under way!

In 2025, three new schools and three performance companies will work co-creatively with The Knotted Project to create original work for the festival through a range of art forms, engaging with hundreds of new young creatives from across Cumbria.

We will work with our Youth Advisory Board again to co-produce the festival, whilst also creating another original film centred around the festival theme for this year “Life through a lens- Young people in 2025.”

We will commission three new Early Career Artists to create original solo performances for 2025’s festival and embark on a tour to rural venues across the region with a selection of our ECA’s from all cohorts, developing their work further whilst expanding their reach and networks.

If you are an early career artist who would like to apply for this opportunity in 2025, please scroll to the bottom of the page.

More Forge Festival 2025 updates to come very soon – watch this space!

Forge Festival 2025 will take place on Saturday 26th April at Windermere Jetty Museum and will include performances from young people from across the region.

Forge Festival is supported using public funding by The National Lottery through Arts Council England. It is also supported by exceptional local partners including Lakeland Arts, Brewery Arts, Barrow Full, Rosehill Theatre, North Yorkshire Council, Wave Forward and Centre for Social Futures at Lancaster University.

“I felt ownership over it, I could see that my ideas contributed to it. Our ideas have been heard, taken into the planning process and actually used. This was our festival that we put together!”
Youth Advisory Board Participant

Early Career Artist Call Out 2025

We want to hear from Early Career Artists (aged 20-25) who would like to pursue a career in the creative and performance industries and become part of a thriving network of Early Career Artists in the region.

We’re offering three Early Career Artists who are committed to developing ambitious new performance work in Cumbria, an exciting professional development opportunity to build their artistic practice, creative skills and networks.

Early Career Artists will be commissioned £1,000 to create a unique live performance piece inspired by ‘Life Through a Lens – Young People in 2025’ for Forge Festival in April 2025, whilst also receiving a bespoke package of mentoring and support from The Knotted Project.

What does the opportunity involve?

A £1,000 commission to produce an original live solo performance piece for Forge Festival 2025, to be performed to the public and an invited audience of industry professionals at Windermere Jetty Museum.
A specialist package of bespoke support and mentoring tailored to you, to develop your creative practice, including brand new headshots and showreel footage.
A number of industry development sessions led by The Knotted Project and experienced professionals, to develop your skills as an artist or freelancer in the creative industries.
The opportunity to broaden your networks by connecting, meeting and working with a variety of industry professionals & local arts organisations across Cumbria & beyond.
Work alongside other Early Career Artists to become part of a thriving network in Cumbria.

To apply for this opportunity you must:

Be aged between 20-25.
Have a connection to Cumbria or be interested in creating original & ambitious work for rural audiences.
Consider yourself to be an Early Career Artist and define your arts practice as one or more of the following: theatre, dance, physical theatre, spoken word, circus or poetry.
Have had some form of arts training/experience.
Be committed to developing a live solo performance piece, your industry knowledge and creative skills.
Be open to new ideas, seize opportunities & embrace change when creating your work.
Be interested in establishing a creative career in Cumbria.
Be available for the majority of the project dates. The festival tech & performance dates are essential.

Dates of Sessions:

-Monday 10th Feb Introduction session (5-6.30pm zoom)

-Saturday 22nd Feb (full day in person session in Cumbria)

-Sunday 23rd Feb (full day in person session in Cumbria)

-Monday 24th Feb Development sessions (5-6.30pm zoom)

-Monday 3rd March Development sessions (5-6.30pm zoom)

-Monday 10th March Development sessions (5-6.30pm zoom)

-Monday 17th March Development sessions (5-6.30pm zoom)

-Monday 24th March Development sessions (5-6.30pm zoom)

Wednesday 9th- Friday11th April (full day intensive rehearsals in person in Cumbria)

Monday 21st April (full day tech rehearsal at Windermere Jetty Museum)

Forge festival performance days Friday 25th & Saturday 26th April 2025 (In person in Kendal/ Windermere).

How to Apply

Please submit an Expression of Interest (no longer than a single page of A4) which includes your responses to the following:

A short introduction to you, where you’re based & how you’d describe your creative practice.
Why you are interested in becoming an Early Career Artist and what you hope to gain from this opportunity and working with The Knotted Project.
A short proposal for a 10-minute live solo performance piece for Forge Festival 2025, in response to the theme of ‘Life through a lens – young people in 2025’. This must be a new idea and not an adaptation of a previous piece.

Alternatively, send us your answers through a short video (no more than 5 minutes in length).

Send your Expression of Interest to Emily at outreach@theknottedproject.co.uk by 5pm on Monday 25^th November 2024.

We actively encourage applications from those who are currently underrepresented in the arts. These include, but are not limited to, people who are culturally and ethnically diverse, people who identify as LGBTQ+, neurodivergent, D/deaf or disabled, those with caring responsibilities and those who have experienced socio and economic barriers.

Please note: The format that you choose to send us your application in will not affect your chances of being successful. This is a free opportunity.

Application process:

Application Deadline – 5pm on 25^th November 2024

Applicants will be notified if they’ve received an interview or not by 29^th Nov 2024

Online Interviews – Week commencing 2nd December 2024

If you have any questions about this opportunity or would like to know more before applying, please email Emily from The Knotted Project: outreach@theknottedproject.co.uk

We look forward to receiving your expressions of interest!

Please take a look at our evaluation film short from our first Forge Festival in 2022.

Film by Nick Farrimond

“I thoroughly enjoyed Forge Festival. The performances were polished, and the pieces had clearly been devised with passion. It was a great way to give young people a voice”
Forge Festival Audience Member

Rebuild the Future was co-created by The Knotted Project and young people taking part in Forge Festival 2024, in collaboration with filmmaker Nick Farrimond.

This is young people’s creative response to the idea that throughout time in the past, present and future, humans’ connection to nature is changing and shifting… where will we end up?

Music by Lee Affen, Film by Nick Farrimond

All Forge Festival Photography by Owen Peters