After the success of The Four Winds in 2022, a project we delivered in collaboration with the National Theatre, we couldn’t wait to kick off our next theatre outreach project, Giving Community A Voice.
Thanks to a grant from Arts Council England, supported by funding from our local Area Board, this project was an opportunity for the local community to get creative, meet new people and most importantly, have their voice heard.
Working in collaboration with industry professionals to create a story based on the personal experiences of all those participating, the project provided an insight into the world of theatre, through workshops, creative games, and performance. The project was open to anyone aged 13 and over who wanted to explore a new experience and grasp the opportunity to join a company of like-minded people who wanted to share their authentic stories and help create another dynamic piece of work to, once again, bring pride to their hometown.
After the initial workshops Saili Katebe, local writer and performer, went on to write the stage play ‘Hearts and Minds‘. We held three performances of Hearts and Minds at Emmanuel’s Yard in September 2024, performed by our wonderful community company.
This poem, The Garden of Belonging, is a cento. A cento is made by weaving lines from other works to create something new. Each line here comes from the Hearts and Minds play.
The Garden of Belonging
We are all like threads woven into the fabric of time,
Telling the stories of hearts and minds.
Even the hard things in life, impossible dreams,
Become possible when you go into it with others.
The bonds we build outlast the limits,
And the rising sun sets; the waxing moon wanes,
But the journey is what all the best stories are written about.
To go fast, you go alone. To go far, you go together.
The songs they sang, the way they held our hands—
These are the threads of our town,
The fabric of its story, woven anew.
by Saili Katebe