How Things Unfold - Introducing A Band Like This
Ahead of the North East Culture Awards 2023 ceremony on Wednesday 13th December 2023, Artistic Director Annie Rigby reflects on the process of developing A Street Like This with community members in Sunderland, and the possibilities that open up when people come together.
“I don’t play my accordion very often but I couldn’t resist joining a rehearsal with a brand new band called ‘A Band Like This’. The band first came together as the community company who co-created and performed in our most recent show, A Street Like This. After we’d packed up the set for the final performance, they decided to keep on getting together and making music. They sorted some space to rehearse (thanks Barry!) and meet in Sunderland every Monday. They’ve worked up some cracking cover versions and are writing original songs too.
Seeing the band form and make new music makes me think about why I gave Unfolding Theatre its name. We make theatre where things unfold. We never know what audiences and people taking part will bring. And we never know what will stay with them after they leave. That’s the magic. Theatre only unfolds when it meets people. And I love making space for that.”
“Seeing the confidence and the creativity of ‘A Band Like This’ makes me so happy.
Many of them got involved with A Street Like This saying they’d never written music or performed in theatre before. There were nerves. Some people worried they didn’t have right experience or skills. I remember telling them not to worry. I am a firm believer that whoever comes are the right people. They always were exactly that. And now it’s me trying to keep up, while they make music, rehearse and chart their own creative path.
I do believe that theatre is magic. But not magic in a way that holds itself apart. The magic is not about mystery for me. The magic comes from being with people - about what becomes possible when different people come together in a space where they are welcomed, encouraged and inspired. If there is a trick, it’s about holding theatrical space that is flexible so it can respond and reshape to what people bring. That’s where possibilities open up and the magic happens.
More has come from A Street Like This than I could have ever imagined.
The amount of laughter and happiness it has generated along the way is the thing that has made me proudest. We talk about making big-hearted theatre - and it makes me so happy to see how that big-heartedness is unfolding beyond us”.
A Street Like This premiered at The Fire Station, Sunderland in June 2023 and toured regionally in autumn 2023 to Gosforth Civic Theatre, Thornley Village Centre (a No More Nowt Culture Hub), Jarrow Focus, The Tute and 17Nineteen.
Written by Alison Carr (Finalist: Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2022) with music by Ross Millard (The Futureheads), the show was co-created with a community company; a group of local Sunderland residents.