We believe the creative arts are a powerful tool to build solidarity, unlock creative voices, and make space for social change.
Participatory work has always been at our core. Alongside our productions, we have developed programmes that create space for communities to respond to our work, connect to each other, and tell stories of their own. Stories that are underrepresented in the arts, and deserve to be heard.
Through Weapons of Mass Creation, the participatory arm of the company, we deliver high-quality creative workshops and projects. Our work is participant-led and prioritises social impact and wellbeing, creating space for women to build creative skills they can use to express themselves in any area of their lives. We believe that the act of making something, whether it is a poem, a story, or a piece of theatre, can be genuinely transformative.
Since our formation we have engaged with approximately 1500 people through our creative workshops, engagement programmes, and a monthly writing group supporting emerging writers to develop bold new work for the stage.
Artist Development
We are committed to nurturing artists who haven't had access to, or wouldn't be able to access, traditional training routes. Our artist development work supports emerging and marginalised women artists to develop their creative skills and connect with a wider professional community. We have previously worked with Old Vic, Mercury Theatre, UAL, Actors' Centre, Stagecraft and Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol to deliver workshops.
Outreach & Engagement
We believe the stories we tell should reach the communities they are made for. Our outreach and engagement work breaks down physical, social, and economic barriers to the arts, creating opportunities for people to connect to our productions and each other. Alongside our shows, we develop wraparound activities that invite audiences to engage with the themes and stories themselves. This work takes place inside and outside of venues, often in partnership with non-arts organisations who know their communities well.
Some of our most exciting work happens at the intersection of different strands, in collaboration with partners who share our values. These projects may have creative outputs that go beyond theatre, and are driven by a desire to build networks, broaden our own skills and experiences, and further our mission. Past projects include DISRUPTIVE: a girls' project at a Pupil Referral Unit in partnership with Artsdepot, reclaiming the word 'disruptive' and exploring creativity and change-making with young women who had been labelled as such. In 2025, in partnership with SOAS, University of London we co-created and delivered Disruptive Oral Histories, a creative project using sound and visual media to explore intergenerational memory and personal history.
We are always looking to build new partnerships and would love to hear about the communities you work with. If you'd like to discuss how we might work together, please get in touch with our Projects & Participation Director, Guleraana Mir - guleraana@thethelmas.co.uk