Who we are?
Show Selectors: we are a dynamic and varied group of people from across Salford who form The Lowry’s new community programming panel, supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. Many of the group do not consider ourselves to be theatre or cultural attenders.
What we do?
We work together with The Lowry to learn about theatre and programming. We manage a budget and select the shows we think our communities want to see in the places that are accessible to them. We want to make sure everyone has a chance to experience the joy and magic of live performances.
Our Process
1
In the first phase we went to see a wide range of shows at venues including The Lowry, Contact, HOME and Hope Mill to see what kind of theatre we enjoy and to consider the type of work that might connect with and represent Salford communities.
2
In between shows we met to share thoughts and feedback on our experiences. The funding from Esme Fairbairn meant we had a budget to programme professional shows. Together, we decided to prioritise bringing live performances to Salford families and young people, who might not usually access theatre venues.
3
In the second phase we started to look at touring theatre, circus and dance performances that were available and suitable for family or young audiences; looking at tour packs, asking companies for more information, watching trailers and looking at websites.
Programme
We are really proud of what we have achieved and the number of people we have reached. We are looking forward to what happens next.
There Should Be Unicorns by Middle Child 23 July 2022, in partnership with Salford Mad Pride. Over 300 people watched the shows in Victoria Park for free. Aimed at ages 6+ and Families.
We selected Middle Child’s There Should Be Unicorns because we liked the energy of the trailer and the themes of the show felt relevant. The show was a huge success with over 300 people attending 2 performances in Victoria Park in Swinton. We worked in partnership with Salford Mad Pride as part of a bigger event focused on mental health and wellbeing and the ways that creativity can help us to be well.
Wildernests by Handmade Theatre, 6 August 2022. Over 285 people watched 3 shows in Clifton Country Park for free. Aimed at under11’s and Families.
We chose Wildernests by Handmade Theatre because we wanted something for younger children and families and we thought the theme of nature and learning about wildlife was really important. We chose Clifton Country Park because it is a park well used by Salford families and has lots of beautiful natural surroundings. Over 285 people watched 3 shows and everyone who attended loved the show and the experience of watching a performance in a park.
Human Nurture by Theatre Centre, October 2022. 1 performance followed by workshops for pupils at UTC MediaCity, Salford
After Watching Human Nurture in The Lowry Studio we were touched by the story and impressed by the show. We felt really strongly that it was important for teenagers to see this show and we thought the best way to do that was to take it to a local school. We also wanted to offer the show to a school with high numbers of children on free school meals. We had an online meeting with the producers of the show to ask them about costs, tour dates and get an understanding of how it might work. *Production Image of Human Nurture and photo of the online meeting with the producers*
We are really proud that Human Nurture, by Theatre Centre, was performed for pupils at UTC MediaCity (secondary school in Salford) in October, followed by a Q&A with the company and a workshop to explore the themes of racism and privilege.