FREE WORKSHOP: Theatre for Democracy
Mill One, 1853 Studios, Oldham, OL9 6QQ, Oldham, OL9 6QQ
Wednesday 5th August 2026
You feel there are things in Oldham that need to change. Maybe you've said so – to friends, at meetings, online. But how do you turn all that energy into something clear enough that the people in charge have to listen?
Theatre for Democracy is a hands-on way of finding out, together, what really matters to us and what we actually want to say about it. Through games, conversation and quick-fire scenes built from real life, we'll surface the issues we share, put them on their feet, and start digging for the real sticking points – the places where change gets stuck, and where pushing might actually move something.
No acting experience needed. No lines to learn, no audience watching – just a room of people from Oldham working things out side by side. Whether you've never set foot on a stage or you live on one, if you've ever thought "somebody should do something about this", this workshop is for you.
Brendon Burns:
Brendon has spent over thirty years leading participatory theatre projects across the UK, Europe and West Africa, using theatre to help communities get to grips with complex decisions – working with more than 75 local authorities and organisations including the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and the European Parliament. Formerly Head of Applied Theatre and Community Drama at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, he is the author of Drama Games for Democracy (Nick Hern, in press 2026) and writes the newsletter The Philosophical Theatre Facilitator.
Theatre for Democracy is a hands-on way of finding out, together, what really matters to us and what we actually want to say about it. Through games, conversation and quick-fire scenes built from real life, we'll surface the issues we share, put them on their feet, and start digging for the real sticking points – the places where change gets stuck, and where pushing might actually move something.
No acting experience needed. No lines to learn, no audience watching – just a room of people from Oldham working things out side by side. Whether you've never set foot on a stage or you live on one, if you've ever thought "somebody should do something about this", this workshop is for you.
Brendon Burns:
Brendon has spent over thirty years leading participatory theatre projects across the UK, Europe and West Africa, using theatre to help communities get to grips with complex decisions – working with more than 75 local authorities and organisations including the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and the European Parliament. Formerly Head of Applied Theatre and Community Drama at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, he is the author of Drama Games for Democracy (Nick Hern, in press 2026) and writes the newsletter The Philosophical Theatre Facilitator.
