This August the Royal Exchange Theatre sets up its eco-friendly mobile theatre, the Den, at The East Manchester Academy for its fourth summer festival. For two weeks this unique pop-up theatre will be brought to life by the residents of Beswick, Openshaw and Clayton.
Packed with workshops, family fun days, photography exhibitions, plays, comedy and a fantastic local double-bill, there really is something for everyone to enjoy – after all it is the best festival in all the land and all the world!
The East Manchester Community Festival will take place this summer from 11 – 19 August and is a celebration of Manchester’s creative communities and the importance of access to art in the places you live. To make sure everyone can attend all tickets are free, or £1 to reserve a spot.
For the past two years the Royal Exchange has been working in partnership with residents from the Beswick, Openshaw and Clayton communities, developing key partnerships with One Manchester, Beswick Library and residents from the Grey Mare Lane Estate.
The Exchange has been delivering creative workshops such as Let’s Get Creative, a free monthly craft drop-in for adults. Alongside this an enthusiastic Local Exchange Ambassador team have been recruited and have been working to help shape and deliver the summer festival in the Den. This team of Ambassadors includes local residents, community champions and young people from local schools all of whom are passionate about their community.
“The good folk of M11 would like to invite you to come to our festival, 10 days in August, of music, comedy, dance and theatre the warmest evenings, the warmest embrace from a community of nations who love a celebration, in the pub for those without ha’pennies to rub cause we’re the best at being special and we just want to share”
Over the past year the Ambassadors have been programming a vibrant festival for the Den (the best festival in all the land and all the world), carefully considering what the community will want and what will have the most impact and be the best fun for the summer. They have shaped a programme that is bursting at the seams with something for the whole community. From a Family Fun Day full of workshops, crafting, incredible stories and a little bit of circus, to addressing more serious topics such as well-being and mental-health through projects by the Men’s Room and Company Chameleon and Joe Mallalieu’s incredibly powerful play RUM.
Over two weeks the Festival will host 26 individual events including two exhibitions, free workshops (from photography to den-building and dance), a scavenger hunt, incredible performances, plus, the uniquely entertaining Today The Streets Are Ours. the M11 Musical written by Joshua Val Martin and performed by professional actors and local groups including St Clements Choir, Resonance Centre Djembe Drum Group, World Harvest Church Choir, and singing groups from Florence House and Mary and Joseph House. There will also be free food provided during the festival.
Alongside all of this two incredible teams of Young People, the Royal Exchange Young Company and the Beswick Young Company, will be performing two new shows. Laura Lomas’s play CHAOS will be performed by the Exchange’s resident Young Company before transferring to Rochdale. The Beswick Young Company, newly established as part of the Local Exchange programme and funded by One Manchester, is a satellite young company providing creative provision for young people across Beswick, Openshaw and Clayton. They will perform a brand-new debut show Who Has The Power celebrating the talents of the company.
Director of Engagement Inga Hirst said…
The Den festivals are a very special part of the Local Exchange programme, they are developed and shaped by a team of local people for their local community and our teams from the Exchange help to bring their vision to life. During two weeks in August The East Manchester Academy will be buzzing with so many creative events from circus workshops to family days to brand-new musical performances, and plays which address mental health and wellbeing.
“This range of events is reflective of what our ambassadors felt was important to them and to the community of Beswick, Openshaw and Clayton. Seeing our mobile theatre, the Den, arrive in a community is always a joy, it is so important that people have access to creative arts on their doorstep and ownership of the space in which these programmes are delivered. This is what is so brilliant about the Den theatre, it belongs to everyone – our ambassadors from Tameside, Leigh, Atherton & Tyldesley, Cheetham & Crumpsall and now Beswick, Openshaw & Clayton all have incredible memories of the impact the Den made for their communities. That is what makes Local Exchange such an exciting and important programme of work.
