A train platform isn’t usually where you expect to stumble across theatre performances. But that’s exactly what will be happening for a week at Eccles Train Station, as part of the free Get In! To Eccles festival.
Artist Lowri Evans is bringing a new participatory piece called Train Dreaming to the platform, creating small, unexpected moments among the everyday comings and goings of the station. Short scenes will appear during morning rush hour in the week leading up to the festival (w/c 23 March), surprising commuters, before returning during the Get In! To Eccles festival weekend, on the afternoon of Saturday 28 and the morning of Sunday 29 March. Everything is free to watch for anyone travelling through or visiting the festival.
Lowri is a Manchester-based live artist who mainly works outside traditional theatre spaces, in unusual locations, with people who may never have acted before. Her projects blend visual art, theatre, and social engagement, often working closely with local communities to make work that reflects the place it happens in.
The idea behind Train Dreaming is simple: for a few minutes, the usual rhythm of the station shifts. Something playful happens. Music, movement and visual surprises appear among people waiting for trains, offering a brief pause in the middle of the day and a chance to see the place differently.
Lowri has been exploring the idea of messages of hope, creating something that lifts the everyday and gently interrupts routine. A commuter glancing up from their phone might suddenly notice a moment of performance unfolding nearby, or hear the familiar sounds of the station in a completely new way.
The piece has been created with people from Eccles;. after putting out an open call, Lowri has spent the past weeks meeting local residents and groups who wanted to be part of the project. Knitters, choirs, art groups, University of Salford students, theatre companies and people who have never done anything like this before have all come forward to get involved.
Together they will rehearse throughout the week before the festival and then bring the platform to life with a series of joyful, visual moments shaped by the community itself.
Lowri Evans said: “Train stations are beautiful places when you stop and really notice them. They’re full of people passing through, all with their own stories, but most of the time we’re rushing, looking at our phones, thinking about the day ahead. The title comes from something Alain de Botton said, that our minds wander when we travel on a train, free to think and dream and connect the dots in a way we just can’t do at home or at work.
“With Train Dreaming I wanted to create a moment where something gentle and unexpected appears right in the middle of that routine. It might only last a few minutes, but hopefully it lifts people’s spirits and reminds them that even ordinary places can hold a bit of magic. Or could be something different, all together.
“What’s been brilliant is making it with people from Eccles as part of such a wonderful festival in the town. Some are performers, to some this is a brand-new experience, but everyone has brought their own energy to it. That mix of people is what makes it feel true to the place. It’s really inspired by the people I’ve met along the way and been informed by the place it’s set”
Train Dreaming forms part of Get In! To Eccles, a free festival of installations, performances, music and family-friendly activity taking place across Eccles town centre on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 March 2026.
For full programme details visit: www.getintoeccles.org
