Ahead of the first Open Door Festival at Exeter Phoenix on Sun 17 May, we want to hear everyone’s ideas! We are keen for the local community to help us shape this inaugural festival.

We’ll be holding Advisory Sessions on Mon 19 Jan at 7.30pm and Sat 24 Jan at 4pm to hear from artists and audiences about how they would like the festival to run.

If you are interested in joining, you can reserve your free spot below, either in-person or online via Teams.

Book in-person >

Book online >

About Open Door Festival

The Open Door Festival is a joint project between Doohickie Productions and the Exeter Phoenix and has been created with the aim of platforming artists who may have previously been excluded from programming opportunities. We’re keen to support stories we haven’t heard, perspectives we haven’t seen and artists who haven’t had their opportunity – yet. This year, we are especially interested in seeing applications from the student community and emerging mature artists, by which we mean older artists who may be new to creating work or may have experienced a career break.

Doohickie Productions was founded in 2023, by local theatre producers Matt Farley, Grace Plant and Sarah McCourt. Between them, they have worked for schools, theatres, libraries and charities and supported touring productions, roaming the fields of Devon and Cornwall.

We’re looking for full length pieces (45 minutes minimum) that are ready to be performed in front of a live audience. We are also looking for workshops that share exercises or approaches that you use in your theatre making process.

Find out more and apply >