Saved events

Share your feedback

Schools & colleges

Barbican Box

Artist playing piano

Barbican Box is a portable Box filled with the ingredients for making and creating original artistic work, inspired by our multi-arts programme.

Barbican Box launched in 2011 as a theatre education programme for secondary schools and Further Education colleges in east London. Today, Barbican Box works across art forms, including music, theatre, poetry, and visual art, and across 40 primary, secondary, SEN schools and FE colleges in east London, with a national development programme in Manchester, Harlow, and Norfolk.

Created in collaboration with artists and associate companies such as Complicite, Max Richter, Michael Rosen, Serious, and Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, the Boxes contain a range of stimuli designed to encourage an imaginative, adventurous approach to arts learning. 

This year, Barbican Box 2022 will have a music focus and is open to secondary schools across London. 
Applications are now closed. 

The Barbican Box is supported by The Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust, The Boris Karloff Charitable Foundation, Mactaggart Third Fund, Tower Hill Trust, Trevor Fenwick and Jane Hindley

Discover Barbican Box 2021

Barbican Box 2021

In 2021 we partnered with Harlow Playhouse, HOME in Manchester and PEACH West Norfolk to deliver Barbican Box projects exploring poetry, creative gift giving and school wellbeing. 

Young artist playing percussion instrument

Programme structure

Barbican Box is a three-month process and begins with CPD (continuing professional development) training for teachers, after which the Box is sent into schools for teachers to begin working with their students. Teachers are matched with an artist mentor who delivers in-school workshops at the beginning, middle, and end of the creative process. Students come to the Barbican or to their local arts centre to see a production, musical performance, or exhibition, and explore careers in the arts. The project culminates with students returning to an arts centre to showcase their original work.

Barbican Box 2022

Barbican Box 2022 will have a music focus, running from April to June. We will work with 10 secondary schools across London supporting music teachers to explore their creativity in the classroom in new ways.

The programme begins with CPD (continuing professional development) training for teachers, after which the physical Box and learning resource are sent into schools for teachers to begin working with their students. Teachers are matched with an artist mentor who supports the teacher through the process and delivers up to three in-school workshops during the creative process. 

Students will get the chance to visit the Barbican during the project, exploring behind the scenes and careers in the arts. The project will culminate with students performing their original work in school followed by the opportunity to showcase this work at a professional venue in front of all the other schools involved. 

Applications for Barbican Box 2022 are now closed.