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Arts Leaders Winter Residency

Get Sh*t done, differently.

Monday 8 - Friday 12 December 2025

Are you an arts leader who wants to, or is finding they need to, work differently? Are you facing challenges? Do you need space to think, reset and reconnect? Then, Improbable’s Arts Leaders Winter Residency could be for you.  

A residential programme at the beautiful Bore Place, in the North Kent Downs. The week is focused on bringing together likeminded arts leaders in the sector who want to connect, converse and grapple with their knottiest topics. The week will be a mixture of sharing ideas and issues we are facing, getting sh*t done together or the space for you to get sh*t done alone. A community of arts leaders coming together in the beautiful setting that is Bore Place.  

Arts leaders are not often afforded the time and space for connection, reflection and action. Our unique approach will use Improbable’s acclaimed practice to enable you to take a pause from the day to day.  

Over the last 30 years, Improbable has grown into a theatre company which defies categorisation. Our work ranges from Olivier-award winning operas like Akhnaten, to large-scale outdoor spectacles witnessed by 20,000 people, to acclaimed adaptations like My Neighbour Totoro. We’ve made celebrated theatre on all scales from rooms above pubs to the National Theatre and around the world, from Syria to Australia to Broadway. But we don’t just make shows, we work with business, charities, councils and across the cultural sector to hold space for people to have the time they need to make positive change. We lead and support skills development programmes for artists. We use Open Space Technology to bring groups together to work on what is really important to them. We take our processes into conflict resolution and research, we lead an international network of M/Others Who Make.  

At the heart of our practice is improvisation which binds together all of our work. Whether on stage, in someone else’s workplace or our own, the practice and philosophy of improvisation is at the core of our creative process. By 'improvisation' we mean any emergent or iterative process that seeks to bring awareness to each unfolding moment and an understanding that positive change comes not from one person, group, or ideology but will grow from the interactions between us. This flows through to how we view leadership, not as a top-down dictation but a ground up, empowering, collaborative process that welcomes the unknown and embraces change rather than shutting it/people/spirits down to meet the mission statement.    

This Winter Residency is for everyone who considers themselves a leader – anyone who has an idea, a spark, a need to do or to dream. 

 Join us for the week and become part of a transformative journey that will shape the future of the arts sector, one inspired leader at a time. 

Applications are now closed.

Got any questions? Find our FAQs here.

 

Feedback from previous Improbable residencies:

‘Go on this course, it will change your life!’ - Winter Arts Leaders Participant 2024 

‘My experience at Improbable's Arts Leaders' Residency was wonderful. I arrived full of love for my work and in the midst of a very dangerous flirtation with burnout. I laughed a lot and ate incredibly well; gently and without cringeworthy exercises, I rediscovered a vulnerable expansiveness; I made a healthier relationship with my sense of purpose and have already begun to shift my practice in ways that will enrich both my life and the impact of my work. I am confident that the week and the people I shared it with will continue to bolster me and my work. Highly recommend.’ - Winter Arts Leaders Participant 2024 

‘The impact from this week will be with me for a long time and it has been an incredible investment in my personal and professional practice.’ - Winter Arts Leaders Participant 2024 

  • Monday 8 – Friday 12 December 2025 

    The week will run from Monday lunchtime – Friday lunchtime.  

    Further details on the schedule will be shared as applications open.  

  • The Arts Leader’s Winter Residency is residential at Bore Place. We will stay in the Old Stables and sessions will take place in the Large Barn and across the site.  

    All food is provided in partnership with Bore Place and communal cooking and eating will be part of our time together. All dietary requirements can be catered for and you are welcome to bring your own food too.    

    Transport will be provided from Sevenoaks station at the start and end of the week or you are free to make your own way to us, there is free parking onsite.  

    Address: Bore Place Road, Chiddingstone, Edenbridge TN8 7AR 

  • We will use Open Space Technology to guide our week and together will make our timetable. This will be a mix of provocations, collaborative and solo working sessions. You will be able to move in and out of these at your choosing, it will be flexible. The week will include;  

    • Up to twelve sessions across the five days led by Improbable’s Executive Director Ellie Claughton and Executive Producer, Kathryn Bilyard along with other members of the team.  

    • 4 nights’ accommodation at Bore Place. There will be options for single or shared rooms with different price points. You will be able to make preferences for this as you apply. Bathrooms are shared.    

    • All meals and refreshments throughout the week catered for. You will also have access to the kitchen if you wish to use it to. Communal cooking and eating will be part of our time together.  

    • Transport to/from Sevenoaks station on arrival and departure days. 

  • £1795 (inc VAT) for a single room  

    £1195 (inc VAT) for a shared room  

    Bursaries: Two bursary places are available. These places are fully funded with travel costs to and from Bore Place covered. Bursaries are intended for people in receipt of income-related benefits and who otherwise wouldn't be able to attend due to financial barriers.

    We appreciate that not everyone can qualify for benefits for many reasons, if that's you and you do want to apply for a bursary there is an option to tell us a bit more about you on the application form. This will be held confidentially and we may discuss it with you if we offer you a place.

    If you have any questions about whether you can apply, you can get in touch by emailing office@improbable.co.uk. Our phones aren't always manned but we'll arrange a time to give you a ring.

  • Full information on the accessibility of the site at Bore Place can be found on the Bore Place website here.  

    There will be a section on the application form for you to let us know what you need to work best. If you would like to discuss your access requirements or have any questions about the site or the week before you apply then please get in touch with us on kathryn@improbable.co.uk.  

  • Applications are now closed.