Interest area: community

Community Chronicles

Collective Encounters is proud to present Community Chronicles, an immersive, community-driven theatre experience set to engage audiences through a unique blend of participatory, interactive and democratic performance, built from the ground up. Over three nights in three venues across the Liverpool City Region, Community Chronicles invites audiences to step into a performance shaped by and for the community, offering a rare opportunity to engage with art that reflects real lives and real concerns.

Developed in collaboration with local participants, artists, and partner organisations, Community Chronicles transforms the traditional theatre experience by positioning the audience as active members in the narrative. Each performance unfolds through four chapters, each led by a ‘Greek chorus’ of performers, with live musical interludes setting the tone. Each chapter presents a thematic provocation, such as ‘Us and Them – Them and Us’, exploring divisions, community dynamics, and the world we want to build together. Guided by facilitators, audience members collaborate creatively, feeding their insights back into the performance in real time.

Community Chronicles was developed with contributions from our Adult Theatre for Social Change, Women in Action, and Care-Experienced Young People groups. Through months of workshops, participants and community members engaged in outreach sessions, exploring questions such as “What issues are important to you?” and “does theatre have any place in telling your story?” This process allowed themes to emerge organically through shared experiences and artistic exploration.

Performance Details

Dates & Venues:

  • Wednesday, November 20 – 7:00 PM at Toxteth TV, Toxteth (BSL interpreted performance)
  • Thursday, November 21 – 12:30 PM at MYA Space, Bootle
  • Friday, November 22 – 7:00 PM at Bloom Building, Birkenhead

Tickets: All performances are FREE to attend. Reserve via Eventbrite or contact admin@collective-encounters.org.uk.

Time for Change: World Menopause Day E...

Join the team this World Menopause Day at Bloom Building, Birkenhead, for a day of fun, creativity, connection & support in maintaining positive mental wellbeing during Menopause.

Whether you are peri, mid or post-menopausal, the day is a chance to chat and connect with other women and develop confidence by participating in a range of workshops led by 3 fabulous (and local) female creatives. There will be opportunities to learn about traditional and holistic support during menopause, find out more about what’s on offer locally, and time to connect with other women in a relaxed and supportive space.

10am – Arrival and tea/coffee

10.30 – 11.30: Workshop 1: Writing around the Menopause with writer/spoken word poet Helen Jeffery
Break

12.00-13.00: Workshop 2: Find your Funny – Comedy with Claire Berry from Femme de la Femme
Lunch – Light lunch included (please advise of dietary requirements)

14.00-15.00: Workshop 3: Confidence Building with musical theatre performer Gillian Hardie
Break

15.30-16.00: Q&A and final discussion/advice and support

Event

If you are interested in having a stall at the event then please contact info@wirralmenopause.org.uk
For any other queries please contact errohemi@outlook.com

Sparking conversations at Ignite Liverpool

Volume #51 – 5 minutes at a time.

It is Ignite’s great pleasure to be able to bring together such a rich diversity of talented speakers for an evening of cerebral stimulation.

Our speakers are all checking their slides, rehearsing their timings and ensuring their vocal cords are in tip top condition for the next encounter of Ignite Liverpool.

Celebrating people from all walks of life as they talk about their passions, their projects and in some cases, their strange habits…….

Each speaker gives a 5 minute presentation on their subject matter.

Your speakers in no particular order……

Speaker: Cath Holland
Talk Title: Why is class everyone’s least favourite diversity and representation category?

Speaker: Jon Daley
Talk Title: Liverpool’s Homes of 2050

Speaker: Martin Graff
Talk Title: “Preparing for a first romantic date”. This talk will look at some of the research in the field of relationships and romantic attraction, for example, how we talk, the way we move, the company we keep and the ways in which we process humour all contribute to our attractiveness. At the end, this session will give some practical advice on how we can improve our chances of a successful first date.

Speaker: Doug Arnold
Talk Title: An aviation adventure – From Models to the Real Thing

Speaker: Tim Brunsden
Talk Title:Floral Civilians – Urban planting

Speaker: Ed Gommon
Talk Title: Liverpool has a new cycling and walking plan and its pretty good! (now we just need to make them build it!)

Speaker: Neil Meekin
Talk Title:Be The Change, Break The Chain.

Speaker: James Aloysius Bellew
Talk Title: Bellew’s Dictum – Archimedes Pythagoras and Murphy along with many other scions and soothsayers are famous for laws, theories and homilies that govern our lives. I’m now delighted to add to this lexicon of the lugubrious with the announcement of the global launch of “”Bellew’s Dictum”” on Ignite.

This pearl of wisdom, this genius gem, this nugget of nous, could change your life, fire up your pheromones and light up your libido. It could provide infinite insight to your innermost indiscretions. It might inflame your smouldering desires, transform your transgressions, be a sinecure for your sins and even energise your erections. Who knows? Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it! So what is… “”Bellew’s Dictum”” – Be at Leaf on the 11th Sept to find out!

Speaker: Lewis Lesley
Talk Title: Lewis Lesley “Liverpool on the right track.  Acceptable public transport to attract trips from cars. Merseyrail is the ideal. Light rail gives 90% of the benefits at 10% of the cost, and it quicker to implement,”

Speaker: Em Wills
Talk Title: How to create an anti-cult. It is about how we need spirituality and magic to be reinfused into our modern lives, but we need to be prepared to build community and spot narcissistic bad actors.

Speaker: Tom Williamson
Talk Title: To be confirmed

Pitch and Put-it-out-there at the Break

Don’t forget if you have a project that you want to talk about then at the end of the break we have our Pitches section –which gives audience members the opportunity 1 minute to jump up on stage and tell the rest of the world (especially those watching at home) about a great project, event or maybe even just about something they are proud of. We make an announcement about this during the break so listen out.