We’re looking for local people to perform in Tales of the Dale, our headline show at The FestiDale, and to participate in Coconut, a live conversation between local people from the Global Majority exploring the experiences which connect us!

Perform in Tales of the Dale, our headline show at The FestiDale.

As it is script-in-hand you won’t be expected to learn the lines, but we will hold a couple of rehearsals to get everyone comfortable reading the stories and being on the stage.

Apply by 25th July!

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Tales of the Dale is a brand-new Royal Exchange production, made from over 24 hours of real stories collected from over 200 people from Rochdale. Led by award-winning audio and theatre directors Polly Thomas and Nickie Miles-Wildin, Tales of the Dale will be performed in the 80-seat mobile theatre space, the Den, across 3 days (15th-17th Aug).

The show itself will be professional and non-professional community performers, reading stories that have been shared by the people of Rochdale, curated with award winning writer Shahid Iqbal Khan. We will be casting professional Manchester actors and are looking for people like you to volunteer to perform alongside them.

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Each of the 4 shows is entirely unique, with different stories, casts and atmosphere! We’ll be casting different groups of community performers for each show, based on your availability for rehearsals.

To get involved: simply come to one of our getting-to-know-you sessions:

  • Thurs 25th July 6:30pm-8:30pm (2 hours) @ Spotland Community Centre, Rochdale, OL12 6PJ
  • Sun 28th July 11am-1pm (2 hours) @ Spotland Community Centre, Rochdale, OL12 6PJ
  • Mon 29th July 6:30pm-8:30pm (2 hours) @ Spotland Community Centre, Rochdale, OL12 6PJ

Register your interest by filling out this form!

Participation information:

We can cover participant expenses for anyone who would otherwise not be able to engage with the activity. This would cover public transport costs to rehearsals and performances, or a taxi if public transport was not possible for access reasons.

Further information on the PDF attached!

 

Take part in Coconut, a performance-conversation happening on 9th August at The FestiDale.

Apply by 30th July

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Coconut is an hour-long conversation between 8-10 local people in front of a live audience led by global majority* artist Ria Phatarphekar-Karmarkar.

We are looking for Rochdale based people of the Global Majority who are happy to volunteer and share their experiences, and engage in the conversation.

Together we will explore the shared experiences of people from different cultures, through questions about identity, food, community, ethnicity, belonging etc. This guided conversation will be set at a dining table and accompanied by Indian snacks and handmade ‘modaks’; a type of sweet coconut dumpling from Ria’s culture. This setting aims to recreate the experiences that Ria had growing up, of communal eating, bonding and sharing.

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Getting-to-know-you session:

We would like to invite you to a getting-to-know-you session on Tuesday 30th July  to find out more about Coconut, so you can get involved! For those who want to be involved in the show, there will be a Preparation session and then the Performance itself.

Getting-to-know-you session: Tuesday 30th July 6pm-7pm at Spotland Community Centre, Rochdale, OL12 6PJ

Please RSVP to this session by emailing Esme at esme.moszynska@royalexchange.co.uk or simply drop-in!

Participation information:

We welcome people who are not fluent English speakers if they are able attend with someone who can aid in translation and engage in the conversation themselves. This is a voluntary position and as such is an unpaid opportunity. We want to ensure that there are no barriers for people wanting to take part and will cover any participant expenses incurred (e.g travel, childcare costs) for any involvement beyond the Getting-to-Know-You Session.

Please see the Call-out PDF for further information

 

The FestiDale comes to Kingsway Park High School 8-18 August 2024. The FestiDale is programmed by our amazing Local Exchange Ambassadors and Champions.  With something for everyone, from facepainting to theatre, and a pay-what-you-can tickets, its shaping up to be a really special community celebration!