Theatre and Dance

We help the UK and global performance sectors connect and collaborate, building relationships between cultures through theatre and dance.

A female performer wearing a white dress stands on a stage dimly lit by blue-purple lighting. She is gesturing towards the audience with her left hand. She stands in front of a tall white screen and there are three chairs arranged around her. At the top left of the frame, the bottom of a screen or projection is just visible, which seems to show the bottom half of a figure in white with long dark hair.

The Tempest - Swimming for Beginners. A British Council project for the Tokyo Olympic 2021 programme, delivered in partnership with Graeae (UK), Owlspot Theatre (Japan) and Dhaka Theatre (Bangladesh). Part of the UK in JAPAN campaign alongside the Tokyo O

Our work in Theatre and Dance

We create new international opportunities for the UK performance sector, through collaboration and exchange. We help UK creatives and their international counterparts to share ideas and learn from each other.

We work to promote a deeper understanding of ourselves, our world and each other through a range of performance genres including live art, circus and outdoor arts.

We work with partners around the world, designing arts programmes to meet priorities that are specific to each country and context. Our partners include arts organisations, venues, festivals, support organisations, NGOs, artists and practitioners. We work with them on collaborations, tours, visits, skill-sharing and long-term development programmes.

Our team of performing arts professionals provide the sector with expert advice on international collaboration and broker connections between artists and organisations in the UK and around the world.

A production image from Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey showing a Japanese woman stands on stage in front of a cherry blossom tree and purple stage lights create a mist behind her.

Confessions of A Shinagawa Monkey Scotland premiere

We're supporting Confessions of A Shinagawa Monkey, a major new international co-production between Vanishing Point (Scotland) and Kanagawa Arts Theatre (Japan). You can see the production in Glasgow and Dundee this February and March.

Find out more