Overview
Young people ages 18-25 are invited to apply for the Brimbank Youth Arts (BYA) Creative Producer Lab 2026, where a small cohort of 8-10 participants will undergo a 12-week mentorship, production and evaluation program with creative industry professionals. The Creative Producer Lab will work collectively to design and deliver a bold new creative production at The Bowery Theatre in late October 2026.
The BYA Creative Producer Lab will support:
- Artistic and professional development for young and emerging artists;
- Creative career pathways for new and existing Brimbank Youth Arts community;
- Meaningful community engagement;
- Practical experience for young artists to develop and deliver an arts event, extend their networks, and gain on-the-job experience.
The Program
Participants will be selected to take part in a twelve-week Creative Producer Lab presented by Brimbank Youth Arts and facilitated by mentor Candy Bowers, with additional industry guest speakers. The program includes 11 workshop and mentoring sessions, a production week, a final presentation and an evaluation session.
Through discussions, activities and hands-on experience participants will explore creative producing in a community context to design and deliver a bold new creative arts event to present at The Bowery Theatre on 31 October 2026.
Workshop topics to be covered include community engagement, cultural safety, financial and legal planning for events, working with artists, risk assessment, grant writing and marketing.
Participants will be offered Myki cards to cover public transport and an honorarium to attend workshops. In the final weeks of the program, participants will also be paid a $500 fee each for contributing to event planning leading up to the event.
The workshops will be held on Thursday afternoons at St Albans Community Centre and will run for 2 hours including a short break. Catering provided.
There will be an increased commitment during the production week, in the last week of October.
Timeline
Monday, 29 June 2026: Applications Open
Sunday, 19 July 2026: Applications Close
Monday, 27 July 2026: Participants Notified
Thursday, 13 August 2026 – Thursday, 22 October 2026: Workshops run weekly on Thursdays from 4pm-6pm
Monday, 26 October 2026 – Sunday, 1 November 2026: Production Week
Friday, 30 October 2026: Bump-in at The Bowery Theatre
Saturday, 31 October 2026: Creative Production at The Bowery Theatre!
Sunday, 1 November 2026: Bump-out
Thursday, 5 November 2026: Evaluation & Future Pathways session
Eligibility
The program is designed for artists, individuals interested in the arts, creative practitioners and emerging producers aged 18-25, supporting emerging industry-level skills development.
No prior creative producing experience is necessary, but applicants must demonstrate some interest or engagement in the arts (eg. volunteering, attending arts events, or independent arts practice) and articulate how the program would benefit their creative career aspirations or current creative practice.
Participants do not have to be Brimbank residents, but should have a strong connection to Brimbank and/or an interest in working with creative communities in the West.
Closing date: Sunday, 19 July 2026, 11.59pm AEST.
To apply, complete this online application form below.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact our Brimbank Youth Arts Officer: AshleighM@brimbank.vic.gov.au
Lead Mentor - Candy Bowers
Candy Bowers is an award-winning writer, actor, director, theatre-maker and producer. She was the first performance curator of African heritage to present at the Extra Festival for the 2024 Triennial at NGV International; featuring over 40 singers, dancers, spoken word artists and musicians. Born of South African political refugees at Dandenong Hospital in Victoria's South East, Candy was accepted into the Bachelor of Dramatic Arts – Acting course at the NIDA and went on to create the production house Black Honey Company (2008-18).
Candy has written and performed original works that have toured across the country including: Sweet Mama, One The Bear, Sista She, and Hot Brown Honey Burlesque. She is a published author featured in a dozen compilations including, Growing Up African in Australia! (Black Inc Books), She's Having A Laugh (Affirm Press) and Goddess: Fierce Women on Film (ACMI/ Thames and Hudson). Catch Candy on the small screen in Safe Home (SBS), Crazy Fun Park (ABC), Swift Street (SBS) and Fisk 2 (ABC/ Netflix).
Candy's awards and accolades include: Best Cabaret/ Variety Show TakeBack2021! (Green Room Awards), Best Ensemble Award & Best Actress nomination Lilith the Jungle Girl (Green Room Awards), Geoffrey Milne Contribution to Independent Theatre Award (Green Room Awards), Australian Writers Guild, Theatre for Young Audiences nomination One The Bear (AWGIES), Philip Parsons Young Playwright Award nomination, Best Performance Award Who's That Chik? and Director’s Choice Award Inna Thigh: The Sista She Story Melbourne Fringe Festival.
Brimbank Youth Arts: Creative Producer Lab 2025
Images from the CPL Production, Resonate 2025
