Community Outreach
Since March 2022 we’ve been leading a programme of community outreach across North Wales, focusing on representing, empowering, and collaborating with members of the community whose voices are under-represented within the arts industry. Whether through social background, economic status, issues with accessibility or acceptance, we’re working with participants who do not feel their voices are valued within the Flintshire arts sector. Primarily, these workshops focus on exploring ideas of food poverty, community, and fostering feelings of togetherness. Our work so far has been centred on encouraging open discussion and conversation about stigmas, misconceptions, and current social and political issues that relate to those struggling with access to food. In doing so, we create community co-produced art that is current, genuine, and vital.
Our work is currently funded by Well-Fed, Flintshire County Council, ClwydAlyn Housing Association & Arts Council Wales.
Our work aims to explore the topics below…
We encourage discussion about what community actually is, ask to what extent people feel like they’re part of different communities, and aim to build a more inclusive community for all.
We encourage acceptance within the groups we work with, through the exploration of serious topics such as food poverty, and the importance of destigmatisation and acceptance for every member of society.
Food is one foundation of what makes us human beings. We explore the impact it has on our lives, the ways we engage with food, and how we can help others access healthier life styles.
Struggle is part of everyones everyday lives. We explore the kinds of struggle different people experience, and how we can work together to minimise this.
Working with a variety of vulnerable participants we aim to support them in the direct work that we deliver and through open discussion surrounding local support options.
We acknowledge that there is a great deal to be grateful for within everyones lives, and celebrate these acknowledgements in our work.
Our work takes 3 different formats…
DISCUSSIONS
Creating safe spaces where people feel open to share stories, perspectives and opinions on a social issue is a key part of our work here at Haywire.
We have worked with organisations such as Mind, KIM Inspire and Aura Libraries, to engage the members of the public they see weekly in honest and open discussion. These discussions are often recorded as part of our research into food insecurity and lives in North Wales, that will be taken into show development later in the year.
Discussion groups are often prompted by us, either by providing participants with external research, discussion prompts or artistic activities that require participants to interrogate a subject. We’ve found that by not always approaching discussion in a conventional manner people feel more comfortable to access complicated and difficult topics. We use metaphor, play, and visual stimuli to spark conversation where previously there was silence.
The aim of these sessions is to get people talking, considering points of view and situations that they may have never considered before and work towards broadening their, and our, understanding of a complex and relevant social issue.
ARTS ENGAGEMENT
We offer workshop programmes that allow people to engage with the arts through writing exercises and various craft activities.
Perfected through collaboration with organisations such as Outside Lives and The Resilience Project, we have used arts activities to provoke critical thinking without the need of using words. These workshops are less about comparing, sharing and discussing opinions with one another and angled more towards the individual having the power to express themselves as they please. Often the topic we explore and the medium through which we do so is informed by early discussion sessions covering general thoughts and opinions, activities already familiar to participants, and conversation focused on how they like to work. We place the power in participant’s hands, and let the process organically grow.
We’ve found by having the luxury of being able to provide participants with various ways to engage and continually provide feedback on our work, we’re able to ensure the workshops we provide directly benefit the needs of the community we are working within.
THEATRE WORKSHOPS
The aim of our theatre sessions is two-fold. We aim to work with fellow creatives and theatre enthusiasts to explore how might theatrically interpret and stage serious social issues. Additionally, we aim to introduce theatre to those who may have never considered it in the past, or had reservations due to confidence or barriers to access. We’ve had brilliant success with such workshop programmes in the past, most notably through our work with Theatr Clwyd and Mind.
Our work with Clwyd has seen participants respond to broad themes, verbatim stories and opinions, and work alongside us to build stories from the ground up. They get to consider how we can most effectively tackle complex issues onstage, and share their opinions in a space that prioritises diversity, acceptance, and creative freedom.
Our work with Mind has stepped away from concept and creation, and towards a more relaxed approach to the stage. We use theatre games and exercises to stretch people outside of their comfort zones, free writing to encourage creativity, and improvisation to encourage play. We work with a mixture of verbal and non-verbal techniques to support those with issues of confidence, and to demonstrate how easily we can perform when we step beyond our words.
Here at Haywire we create fun, enjoyable, and relaxing environments, where people feel confident that their voices are valued, their contribution is important, and there is a space for them within Flintshire’s growing arts sector. We accept all voices, no matter how divided, and prioritise collaboration to build a stronger sector for all.
Are you interested in working with Haywire on your latest project, or chatting about how we could collaborate with your current groups? Email us at haywiretheatrecompany@gmail.com or give us a call at 0161 718 8791.
