In this episode, Dr Kay Hepplewhite speaks with Annie Rigby, Artistic Director of Unfolding Theatre, about making theatre with communities in Sunderland and the importance of collaboration, participation and local identity.

Their conversation explores:

• Making theatre through collaboration and community participation.
• The importance of unexpected combinations of people and perspectives.
• Local identity, belonging and the diversity of voices in Sunderland.
• Taking theatre into neighbourhoods and places where it might not normally happen.
• The strengths of Sunderland’s independent, resourceful creative community.
• The challenges of limited infrastructure, funding, career development and audience development.
• The importance of sustained support for local artists and organisations, and opportunities for children and young people.

This conversation is part of Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination, an AHRC-funded research project exploring the people, places and practices that shape local theatre.

Find out more about the research: localtheatres.wordpress.com

Find out more about Unfolding Theatre: www.unfoldingtheatre.co.uk

In this episode, Dr Kay Hepplewhite speaks with Corinne Kilvington, Artistic Director and founder of Theatre Space North East, Sunderland's only professional producing theatre company. They discuss the importance of accessible, community-led theatre and the challenges facing grassroots theatre makers in the city.

During their conversation, they explore:

• Theatre Space North East's work to remove barriers to theatre and creativity, including its free Summer of Shakespeare productions, community projects and youth theatre.
• The importance of nurturing people's creativity, confidence and skills, and creating welcoming spaces where everyone feels they belong.
• The strengths of Sunderland's amateur and community theatre, alongside the challenges of limited funding and opportunities for professional theatre makers.
• The need for affordable, small-scale rehearsal and performance space where artists can experiment, develop new work and build audiences.
• How greater collaboration, better training, more ambitious funding and a shared creative strategy could help strengthen Sunderland's theatre ecology.
• Why access to theatre should be a right for everyone, not a privilege.

This conversation is part of Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination, an AHRC-funded research project exploring the people, places and practices that shape local theatre.

Find out more:

localtheatres.wordpress.com

https://www.theatrespace.org.uk/

In this episode, Dr Kay Hepplewhite speaks with Emma Horsman, Project Director at The Cultural Spring, about community participation, creative opportunities and the role of local people in shaping arts and culture across Sunderland.

They dive deep into the local theatre ecology and discuss:

• How The Cultural Spring works with communities to make arts and culture more accessible, bringing creative activities into familiar local spaces and removing barriers to participation.
• The importance of building trust, developing confidence and giving people opportunities to discover and explore their own creativity.
• How programmes such as Go and See, Space to Create, Bite Size and Nibbles support community-led projects, partnerships and the development of new work.
• The value of co-creation, where local people help shape the work and artists develop meaningful, lasting relationships with communities.
• The challenges of sustaining community projects, developing audiences and creating pathways for people to continue participating in theatre and the arts.

They conclude with a discussion on what Sunderland needs to support a thriving creative sector, including funding, space, better promotion, audience development and a more joined-up cultural strategy.

This conversation is part of Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination, an AHRC-funded research project exploring the people, places and practices that shape local theatre.

Find out more:

localtheatres.wordpress.com

theculturalspring.org

This episode features Matthew Blyth, Culture and Heritage Officer at Arts Centre Washington. He speaks with Dr Kay Hepplewhite about the venue’s role in Sunderland’s theatre ecology, supporting local artists and creating opportunities for new work.

Matthew shares his thoughts on:

• The range of activities at Arts Centre Washington, from touring theatre and community productions to youth theatre, classes and exhibitions.
• The importance of the Centre as a small-scale venue in providing opportunities for local groups and visiting companies.
• The strengths of Sunderland’s grassroots and community theatre, alongside the gap in mid-scale touring and locally produced professional work.
• The value of supporting emerging artists through rehearsal space, development opportunities and platforms to share work in progress.
• How collaboration across Sunderland’s cultural venues can create opportunities and strengthen the local creative scene.
• The ambition to help more Sunderland and Washington-based artists develop work locally and take it to wider audiences.

This podcast is part of the AHRC-funded research project Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination, which explores the people, places and opportunities shaping local theatre.

Find out more:

localtheatres.wordpress.com

sunderlandculture.org.uk/arts-centre-washington

What does local theatre mean to Sunderland, and what is needed to help it thrive?

In this introductory episode, Dr Adelle Hulsmeier, Associate Professor for Partnerships and Participatory Practice at the University of Sunderland, and Dr Kay Hepplewhite, Research Associate, introduce Mapping Local Theatres and the wider AHRC-funded research project, Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination.

The project explores Sunderland's changing theatre landscape, examining the role theatre plays in community life, participation and inclusion, and the opportunities available to local artists, practitioners and audiences.

Drawing on research undertaken across the city during 2024 and 2025, Adelle and Kay explain why understanding and supporting local theatre matters, particularly in a city experiencing cultural and economic transition. They introduce the people and organisations featured throughout the series, from independent theatre companies and community arts organisations to established venues and cultural leaders.

Across the conversations, the series explores the strengths of Sunderland's theatre scene, the challenges facing its artists, participants, organisations and venues, and what needs to happen to create a thriving and sustainable local theatre ecology.

About the project

Local Theatres: Participation, Inclusion, Imagination is funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC).

Read the transcript: Full transcript of this episode

Find out more: localtheatres.wordpress.com