Welcome to Rochdale where we are in year two of our residency. This summer we bring you The FestiDale!
The FestiDale is a brand-new festival named and curated by the Rochdale Local Exchange Ambassadors and Champions, hosted by Kingsway Park High School from Thursday 8 – Sunday 18 August 2024. There’ll be something for everyone in this vibrant, captivating programme in the Royal Exchange’s eco-friendly mobile theatre, the Den. With a pay-what-you-can model, each production, workshop and activity is accessible and open to everyone who wants to come along.
One of the most exciting elements of this year’s programme is the headlining production Tales of the Dale, helmed by award-winning theatre and audio directors Nickie Miles-Wildin and Polly Thomas. Curated with Shahid Iqbal Khan (Love Across The Ages, BBC Radio 4; 10 Nights, Bush Theatre).
The team will be collecting hundreds of stories from far and wide across the borough of Rochdale, in community centres, hospices, libraries, sports centres, schools, clubs and other civic spaces. The tapestry of stories will then be woven together into a live audio experience and performed in the Den over three days, by a company compiled of both professional actors and community members, celebrating the stories of the people of Rochdale and putting them centre stage.
Get Involved in making Tales of the Dale
- Share you story with us, and be part of the brand-new production Tales of the Dale.
- Find out more, and let us know you would like to perform in Tales of the Dale.
The Royal Exchange are excited to be partnering with several organisations across the festival, without whose generous support this would not be possible – these include Rochdale Development Agency, Culture Coop, Kingsway Park High School and Touchstones (Your Trust).
If you are an organisation from the area and want to get involved and find out more about our the projects we’ll be developing in the area, please get in touch with Esme at esme.moszynska@royalexchange.co.uk.
