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​Global Majority Future Leaders

Mandala Heart Lab aims to use imagination to inspire fresh perspectives and collaborative approaches to building better futures for early career Global Majority artists.
 

Based on 2025–2026 reporting, Global Majority (Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse) young people are highly engaged in the arts but face significant barriers to leadership, with industry representation stalled at around 22% in key sectors. Across the wider UK cultural sector, only 9.8% of managers and directors are from the Global Majority, significantly lower
than the 15.9% in the wider UK workforce.
 

Mandala Heart Lab Training is designed as an in-depth, practice-based opportunity exploring creativity and imagination through the lens of decolonisation, of storytelling and making, of ceremony, ritual, and ancestral connection. The young Future leaders will be immersed in experiential understanding and discovery of ancestral and historical civilisations. Through communal living, land-based learning, and cultural excursions, participants will engage in
transformative creative development rooted in cultural memory, identity, and place.

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Heart Lab Audition Call Out 26-27

 

Over six weeks in Dahab, Egypt (all expenses paid) from late October to early December 2026, participants will be immersed in experiential learning and discovery of ancestral and historical civilisations, engaging with this ancestral land through creativity, ceremony, ritual, and cultural exploration. Through communal living, land-based learning, and cultural excursions, they will undertake a transformative creative development journey rooted in cultural memory, identity, and place.

Working alongside a professional dramaturg, writer, director, choreographer, and filmmaker, these early-career theatre makers will devise and create original stories, develop characters and scenarios, and to produce short films alongside a full-length touring play focused on identity, belonging and reclaiming their narrative. Application Deadline: 20 July 2026

To apply, please submit the following by 20 July 2026:
* A self-tape of a monologue or speech that aligns with the themes of Heart Lab.
* A short expression of interest outlining your creative practice, aspirations, and what you hope to gain from the experience
* A theatre CV (if you have one).

Please email your applications to yasmin@mandalatheatre.co.uk.

Auditions
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to attend an in-person audition on one of the following dates:

Birmingham
* 27 July 2026
* 28 July 2026

London
* 29 July 2026
* 30 July 2026

Further details regarding audition venues and times will be shared with shortlisted applicants.
 

Participants selected for the programme will work collaboratively to develop original creative work, including short films and a full-length theatre production. There is also the potential opportunity to be involved in a paid touring theatre production during Spring 2027.

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Empowerment and Ancestry

Empowering early career artists from global majority backgrounds—those of Black, Asian,
Arab, dual-heritage, and indigenous descent—is a critical, intentional, and transformative process. It involves shifting the narrative from one of "minority disadvantage" to recognizing their position as part of the 85% global majority, which helps challenge narratives and foster a sense of belonging and power. Connecting these young artists to their ancestry and
heritage is central to this empowerment, offering psychological benefits, building emotional resilience, and strengthening their identity.
 

Key Reasons for Empowerment & Ancestral Connection

• Building Stronger Identities, Self-Esteem & Mental Health

• Healing Generational Trauma: Exploring ancestry will help these young leaders understand their roots, disrupt cycles of generational trauma, and reframe negative histories into narratives of strength and resilience.

• Challenging Systemic Barriers: Empowering future young leaders is a strategic tool for fostering inclusion and overcoming systemic barriers, such as racism and limited representation.

• Cultural Identity as a Source of Strength: By acknowledging and celebrating their cultural heritage, these future leaders will develop a sense of pride in themselves and their histories.

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