We’re having a busy day today preparing for an Arts Conference at York Barbican. Working in partnership with City of York Council we are devising a piece of short mask theatre using the dramatic soundtrack composed of the voices of York Residents.

Using their true stories and original poems we are seeking to celebrate our local community on the stage. We have chosen bittersweet accounts including the story of a child during the York Blitz, a poem written by a primary school on the history of York, one woman’s account of her traveller community, an ode to Betty’s café (one for the York residents!), a moving tale of a husband coping with his wife’s dementia and a pointed satire on retail madness!

For the occasion, our masks have been given a cosmetic overhaul and today (with our stage management hats on) we will be seeking out costume, props and the infamous Roughshod table before our actors arrive on Friday and we start rehearsing.