The Northern Theatre Laboratory is the home of expressive theatre training in Manchester.

Operating out of several studios and outdoor spaces across the city, NTL has been the home for artists wishing to play, challenge themselves and explore their creativity since 2016. The laboratory was created to bring regular craft focussed training in body, voice and imagination to the North of England in a more affordable way.

NTL runs a programme of expressive theatre training throughout the year. The work is guided by Adam Davies and invites a host of international artists from across the world.

The Northern Theatre Laboratory was established in 2016 by Adam Davies and Henry McGrath.

The mission was to create a space in the heart of the North West of England that provided a place to take creative risks, a launchpad for future leaders in the evolution of theatre practices, and a forum in which personal enrichment can develop and flourish. After finishing training at RADA’s MA Theatre Lab,

Adam and Henry spent 12 months meeting up to train in parks, studios and under railway arches exploring new ways to challenge theatre practices. They decided to head north to Manchester where they both began their training and share their passion with other artists with similar ambitions.

As the community grew, the NTL became strengthened by the collective environment. Where the inner push and pull of the individual was invigorated by the sparks of inspiration driven by the collective. 8 years later, and 100s of workshops later NTL is proud to be the home for artists of all performance disciplines, and for those who simply seek something different from their daily lives, to take risks and kickstart new beginnings.