ABOUT US
The Creation Works CIO is a registered charity no. 1209557. With a female led board of trustees rooted in the local community, the Creation Works is managed by Miranda Henderson & Alister O’Loughlin, the artistic directors of Prodigal Theatre and The Urban Playground Team.
The pair returned to Henderson’s native Cornwall in 2017, with a feasibility study into a rehearsal space completed in 2020. Years of fundraising followed. During those years, two cohorts of The Emergent Ensemble early-career artists programme were run, 4 ‘Doorstep Tours’ took dance onto the literal doorsteps of Par Bay, and The PAR-teee, a free family festival of PAR-formance & PAR-ticipation for Par Bay was founded. The fourth PAR-teee opened the Creation Works in May 2025.
The design of The Creation Works was informed by 25 years of touring across 5 continents. The UPG Team have made work in spaces ranging from studios to carparks, from theatres to derelict markets, from London rooftops to Danish swamps, and from the heat of Southern India to the sub zero snows of Norway.
how we work
The Creation Works offers everything you need to develop your next piece of theatre, dance or outdoor performance, in Par, Cornwall. Designed and run by performance makers, The Creation Works hosts residencies, workshops, masterclasses, development processes, industry showings & rehearsals.
AS A CHARITY WE DO NOT CHARGE RENT!
INSTEAD:
- All users cover basic running costs of their residency (electricity/water/wifi etc). We make every effort to minimise this through energy-efficient solutions.
- We also ask for a donation that reflects the scale of usage and status of visiting artists (Funded / Unfunded, Early-Career / Established, Solo / Duet / Larger company etc)
- Where practitioners have an engagement practice, and want to work directly with the community, this can form part of their donation.
FOR EXAMPLE:
WORKSHOPS
with local community participants
MASTERCLASSES
for Cornish performance-makers
SHARINGS
of work in progress
PERFORMANCES
of finished works
We will work with every user on an individual basis to make the space as affordable and accessible as possible for all.
THE SPEC
- 9.75m x 11.6m studio
- Unbroken white ‘back wall’ ideal for projection / photography
- Semi-sprung Junckers dance floor with under-floor heating
- Aerial rigging points in 5m – 6.3m high ceiling
- Theatrical sound & lighting, full blackout, lots of natural light
- Kitchen & dining space
- Accessible Wet-room & WC
- 4 bedrooms (2 x single, 1 x double, 1 x twin/double)
ACCESSIBILITY
- Level entrance & fob-opening door.
- Lift to accommodation.
- 3 wheelchair accessible bedrooms (1 x single, 1 x double, 1 x twin).
- 1 x full profiling bed and connecting door to ‘carer’s room’ if required.
- Mobile hoist for use anywhere in building (& off site by arrangement).
- Kitchen: wheelchair accessible sink, oven, counter top.
- Fully accessible wet room with Roommate audio-describer.
- Mobile hearing loop available on request.
- The Creation Works is wheelchair accessible on public paths from the train station.
KIND WORDS
SUPPORT - WE CAN:
- Offer mentoring and support to artists where we can be useful.
- Connect artists who have engagement practices to participants from our local community.
- Support artists developing meaningful engagement practices as part of developing work here.
- Connect artists developing work at the space with venues in Cornwall / Plymouth.
- Programme outdoor work at our own PAR-teee festival.
- PAR-tner & collaborate!
GETTING HERE:
The Creation Works is at 13a Moorland Road, Par, Cornwall, PL24 2PA
BY CAR
The Creation Works is situated at 13a Moorland Road, Par, Cornwall, PL24 2PA.
13a is at the end of a 50m lane, set back from the main road, which is on a one-way system.
There is a low level sign in the mouth of the lane. When the space is in use the lane is illuminated after dark.
There is limited parking at the building itself, prioritised for disabled users.
There is an EV charger available in our carpark.
There is free on-street parking all along Moorland Rd.
For Satnav use What 3 Words: motion.tapers.expel
BY BUS
The Creation Works is on the 24, 24E and 25 bus routes.
There are 2 stops in Moorland Rd, and the entrance to The Creation Works is between them.
FROM ST AUSTELL:
Get off at the 2nd Moorland Rd stop, and walk back, staying on the same side of the road, entering our lane at What 3 Words: motion.tapers.expel
FROM FOWEY:
Get off at the Moorland Rd & Par Green Junction stop, cross to Moorland Rd and follow around the one way system to find the lane at What 3 Words: motion.tapers.expel
BY TRAIN
Par Train Station is less than 500m from The Creation Works. It is brilliantly connected across Cornwall with hourly trains to Truro, Penzance, Newquay and Plymouth. Par is a mainline station, with direct trains to London Paddington and up to Glasgow throughout the day.
FROM THE TRAIN STATION:
A footpath runs through Par Track (a public park between us and the train station) and out to Moorland Rd via a gate at What 3 Words : acquaint.awaited.minds
Turn right and walk along to our lane.
If the weather is dry, you can shortcut across the grass to our own gate at What 3 Words: /// spilling.protects.wager
If you need assistance, we recommend Yeo’s Taxis on 01726 814095 – booked in advance.