Creative Collective, a Manchester-based performing arts group, is premiering its immersive theatre experience ‘The Talk’ at The Horsfall on Wednesday 20th March. Partnered with mental health charity, 42nd Street, the production draws on an in-depth study of people’s experience of expressing emotions in contemporary society.
Created in consultation with young people from 42nd Street and members of the collective, The Talk is set in a dystopian future that forbids authentic face-to-face connection. Against this backdrop, an exploration takes place into the use of conversing through social media platforms in relation to sociological well-being, ultimately highlighting the power of authentic, real-life communication.
An immersive experience taking place over three floors with Creative Collective actors, attendees will be invited to take part at certain points, such as entering the ‘Emotibooth’ – a sculptural and digital installation conceptualised and developed especially for the performance – whereby guests can privately, honestly and safely offload their emotions.
The audience will also join a post-show conversation, co-facilitated by some of the young people who helped inspire The Talk, discussing their experiences of being brought up in a digital world. This will be interesting for people of all ages, as older generations will gain insight into what modern life is like for the younger generation.
Commenting on the performance, Rose Fowler Director at Creative Collective said: “On an almost daily basis we hear about the potential negative impact that mass media can have on young people’s development and what it might mean for the future. As such, even though The Talk is set against a dystopian backdrop many of the themes we touch on mirror present day.
“We’re incredibly excited to host our performance at 42nd Street’s unique creative venue, The Horsfall. The team and young people at the charity have been so supportive from the get-go and we look forward to seeing how our partnership develops. We hope that people of all ages will benefit from attending The Talk, coming away with a re-ignited respect for the power of face-to-face conversation.”
The Talk builds on the success of 42nd Street’s ‘Hidden’ (2017) and ‘Missing’ (2018), the immersive and interactive theatre experiences created with young people to build dialogue around contemporary youth experience.
Adding to this, Rod Kippen, Creative Producer at 42nd Street added: “The namesake of The Horsfall is Thomas Coglan Horsfall, a notable Mancunian philanthropist who sought to promote wellbeing and social change through contact with art and nature. This is a notion we closely align ourselves to at 42nd Street, and that’s why we are absolutely delighted to collaborate with the Creative Collective team whose core values align closely to our own.
“Many young people come to us needing help for myriad reasons, but the one key thing that underpins many issues is the lack of positive human interaction. That’s why it’s incredibly important for us to continue playing our part in initiatives like The Talk and keeping the conversations flowing.”
The Talk will take place over three nights starting on Wednesday 20th March ending Friday 22nd March with three performances on each night starting 5.15pm, 6.30pm and 7.45pm. Tickets can be purchased at Ancoats General Store or here.
