“Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it.” – James Baldwin
Every Brilliant Thing - Mull Theatre and tour, 2021
Kindness. Competence. Vision.
Thistle and Rose Arts is a female-led, commercial theatre producing firm operating in London and across the UK and Ireland. We make small- to mid-scale plays and musicals by, for and about women and non-binary people. The stories we tell combine the personal with the political, exploring identity and advocating social change. We particularly love to make work set throughout history and which incorporates folk themes.
Most importantly, we make really fantastic theatre.
In addition to our commercial producing work, we also offer mentorship and opportunities for people of any age interested in theatre producing and early career professional producers wherever we can. We want to demystify and reduce barriers to getting started in this industry and progressing through it. We do this by offering talks, advice sessions, template documents and anything else you may find useful.
We are dedicated to maximising the accessibility of our work and our materials but we are still learning. If there’s something you’d like to see, head to our contact page and tell us what we need to do!
Our Values
We believe in compassion and generosity, and we work with people who share those values. We contract our employees and freelancers with their wellbeing in mind. We engage with the world with patience, empathy and understanding, even when it feels hard.
We know that just because this is business, it doesn’t mean we aren’t human beings.
Within kindness and generosity lie inclusion and accessibility. Our work isn’t worth its salt if not everyone can enjoy it.
Kindness.
To make incredible theatre you need incredible skills, and we have those in bucketloads. We bring our experience, common sense and resourcefulness to the table and we look for those things in others too. From artists to co-producers, mentees to production managers, programmers to PR, we seek the best of the best.
If you’re a nice person and you’re good at what you do, you’re in our club.
Most importantly, we know that creating social change through theatre is vital but it lacks impact when the quality of the work gets left behind. Put simply, if no one comes, who are we advocating to? Making the highest quality work will always stay at the top of our list. The more bums on seats to see a great show, the more change we can inspire.
Competence.
Good work by great people is all well and good, but who would we be if we didn’t strive for more?
We’re always evaluating our work, looking to build on our skillset and gain constructive feedback following our projects. We champion further education and training for everyone on our staff in their chosen specialities.
We ask our people to dream bigger. We encourage our artists to create without limits. We trust our professionals to ask new questions and push boundaries. We encourage our mentees to create a professional pathway which makes the most of who they are, even if it’s unconventional.
Our vision is what makes us unique.