Training and Events


At Next Door But One, we create bold, creative and deeply human experiences that help organisations connect, reflect, communicate and grow.

Whether you’re planning a staff development day, conference session, leadership away day, wellbeing programme or team-building event, we design bespoke experiences that are engaging, inclusive and genuinely memorable.

We work with organisations across the cultural, education, health, community and corporate sectors to deliver training and events that move beyond the standard workshop format. Using theatre, storytelling, creativity and participation, we help people think differently, work better together and explore complex topics in safe, imaginative and impactful ways.

Everything we deliver is tailored to your organisation, your people and your goals, but at the heart of every session are our core values of inclusion, empowerment, creativity and care.

What We Offer

Team Building & Away Days

Our creative team-building workshops use arts-based activities, storytelling and creative writing to bring people together in meaningful and energising ways.

Available as half-day or full-day experiences, these sessions can support:

  • stronger communication and collaboration
  • wellbeing and staff connection
  • onboarding and team integration
  • leadership development
  • reflection during periods of change
  • creative thinking and problem-solving

These are not awkward icebreakers or corporate clichés. They are thoughtful, engaging experiences designed to help teams reconnect, recharge and discover new perspectives together.

Current delivery includes:

  • Staff Development Day for NCEM and The Richard Shepard Music Foundation.
  • Creative Wellbeing Day for York Dance Space.

Playback Theatre

Playback Theatre is a powerful form of improvised theatre where participants share real experiences and stories which are then brought to life by performers in the moment. This creates a unique shared experience that encourages reflection, empathy and emotional insight across whole groups.

Playback Theatre is particularly effective for:

  • conferences and events
  • celebrating team achievements
  • exploring workplace culture
  • supporting change and transition

It is joyful, moving, thought-provoking and regularly transformative.

Current delivery includes:

  • Playback Theatre for LNER and Network Rail Managers' Conferences to better understand the emotional and psychological responses to change, uncertainty and transition.
  • Playback Theatre For Explore York's Staff Conference.
  • Playback Theatre for Funding Launch with Two Ridings Community Foundation.

Forum Theatre Workshops

Forum Theatre uses interactive performance and role play to explore real-life workplace challenges and create practical solutions together. Using scenarios developed with your organisation, participants are invited to test ideas, explore different approaches and build confidence in responding to complex situations.

Forum Theatre is especially valuable for:

  • equality, diversity & inclusion training
  • accessibility and disability awareness
  • communication and conflict resolution
  • customer experience and public engagement
  • organisational culture and behavioural change

This is active, embodied learning that helps people practise skills rather than simply talk about them.

Current delivery includes:

  • Forum Theatre and Dissemination Performance for Humber and North Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership.
  • Forum Theatre exploring access inclusion for customers and staff at LNER's Managers Conferences.
  • Forum Theatre to support Senior Leaders at York St John University to implement their Core Inclusive Practices.

The Social Model of Disability Training

As a disabled-led company, we approach all of our work through the Social Model of Disability; a reframing of how people are disabled by physical, attitudinal, and cultural barriers which need to be addressed in order to remove blame or requirement to change away from the disabled individual and onto organisations, communities and governments. Through a seminar, led by a disabled practitioner, with real-life examples, attendees can walk away with a collective understanding of the model, how to approach adaptations associated with disability with confidence and respect, and overall not to be afraid to talk about disability. The awareness raised around access and inclusion via this training can also be applied to other areas of EDI.

This can also be offered with additional Forum Theatre involvement to bring case studies to life, on how the Social Model of Disability is adopted in a practical sense. 

Current delivery includes:

  • Creative Inclusion Training for Explore York.
  • Social Model of Disability Training for darts.
  • Social Model of Disability Training for Student Services at York St John University

What People Say About Us

I’d been fruitlessly searching for some quite specific training that would develop my team’s awareness of themselves and their work, and it turned out that I could literally get this ‘next door’ (corny I know, but true)!  I had a few coffees with Matt helping me get to the bottom of my team’s needs, and his understanding of working in small creative organisations helped so much with this. The afternoon with the NDB1 team was just amazing. Crucially it was filled with care and consideration, so everyone felt safe and could explore their roles within our team.  We all still reflect on the afternoon, and the long-lasting positive impacts on all members of the team.

Cherry Fricker (Executive Director, National Centre for Early Music)

I can’t tell you how wonderful your team were last night … oh yes I can… they were absolutely fantastic. It was totally perfect for the evening, bringing people out of themselves, shaking up the love, making it a truly communal, and memorable night for everyone. So.Much.Joy

Bec Horner (Communications & Partnerships Manager, Two Ridings Community Foundation)

I would thoroughly recommend using NDB1 for your next development day. They provided us with a session on Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging which included some training on the Social Model of Disability followed by a Playback Theatre session to get my team thinking about examples of how they support our customers. The session was absolutely joyous! It was amazing to see the work the team at Explore do literally played back to them in glorious technicolour and to give us the opportunity to reflect on the value we bring to the community. From my perspective it is a unique and safe way for your team to consider how they work and delivered by the nicest group of people you could hope to meet.

Jenny Layfield (Chief Executive, Explore York Libraries and Archives)

Matt and the NDB1 team delivered an amazing session for us on disability, EDI and student support. Matt listened at every stage as to what our needs were and designed a bespoke session that was engaging, inclusive, interactive and hugely impactful in terms of learning. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend NDB1 for any skills based training. Thank you!

Penny Foster (Head of Learning and Organisational Development, York St John University)

Let’s Create Something Together

Every organisation is different. That’s why every session we deliver is bespoke, collaborative and designed around your aims, your people and your challenges.

If you’re looking for training or events that are creative, inclusive, thoughtful and genuinely memorable, we’d love to talk.

Get in touch HERE.