We share the stories of what has been lost and what has been found; what we value and what we want to change; what we fear and what we hope for.

In times of challenge what we love, fear and hope for are often amplified and this can help us to see more clearly. Explore more at https://the-living-city.org/

Funded by the Arts Council and National Lottery Community Fund.

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Preston Railway Station played host to a fantastic four day performance in a temporary social club for performance, fun, and debate – The Oasis Social Club.

The Oasis Social Club 2016
We…..

• Transformed – the Victorian train station into a social club
• Connected – people with debates about northern-ness in an imagined ‘Social Club’ setting
• Celebrated – our town, our culture and a historically significant oft-overlooked space

Listening, Responding, Connecting, Transforming 

The club is the brainchild of London-based artist Rebecca Davies. It’s a vibrant, temporary space, complete with a licensed bar, encouraging the local communities to participate in discussions about their area and take part in a range of fun activities and entertainment.

The four day event announced the arrival of Hit the North – a captivating new live art experience conceived and run by us at TheyEatCulture, in residence at the train station.

Like any social or working man’s club, Oasis was a place to talk about matters that affect the area and the community, alongside wider discussion around what defines ‘the north’ and what it means to live and work here.

Through conversations with the local community – including a ‘Bingo and Meat Raffle’  – Rebecca devised a fictional ‘host’ figure for the club and remained in character as for the duration of the event;  46 year old Denise Sheila Braithwaite from Penwortham!

Read more about the programme here

Welcome to Mobile Home, They Eat Culture’s three year Big Lottery funded project.

Our project Mobile Home transformed through community asset development a number of unloved urban green spaces in 5 of the most deprived communities in Preston and South Ribble into vibrant outdoor community and creative hubs.

Transforming  -  We took over a city centre location and held social activation training, markets, music events, film events are more.

Empowering - Our social activist training empowered local people to set up projects in their neighborhoods, creating the positive change they wanted to see.

Connecting – By becoming a social hub space we connected people who wanted to make positive changes, they shared skills and connections to enable them to make change happen

Community Cohesion

This project delivered community cohesion through creative & cultural development, environmental green space activities and community engagement.

The project  brought together communities to cook and eat together, to share recipes, their histories, what’s important to them. All ages came together to take part in celebrations the elders remembered from their childhoods including Mischief Night.

We activated and and redeveloped underutilised shared urban spaces. We created and populated ‘meanwhile spaces’ for long-term use by the community, providing sustainable legacy. The project and activities benefit from ongoing development, meaning we are ‘learning as we go’.

Asset Development

Through the project a wellbeing space was transformed from been a private yoga studio to a multi-use physical & mental wellbeing hub with an arts health development programme, significant outreach activities and links with the city and county council and the NHS. This is now an important asset for the city.

Green Space & Partnerships

The Mobile Home project was based around the idea of bringing the indoors outdoors, to create an ‘outside home’ where the community can grow, cook, and share food, sit and talk together, and play together through shared activity.

We workeded with Groundwork who are passionate about creating a future where everywhere is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny and where everyone can reach their potential.

Please re-visit us in the near future to find out more about the project activities.

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TRANSFORMING PLACE

The Cinema Around the Corner Film Club brings fortnightly screenings of great cinema from all over the world to the film lovers of Preston.

Held every other Tuesday at The Continental, the club is designed to bring regular film screenings to local people whilst also encouraging members of the club to get involved in the programming. Each week three films are chosen by They Eat Cultures programming team and then voted for by the club – determining what the next screening will be.  For £3.50 subscription per screening, you are invited to come and experience an array of cinematic delights, suggested, selected and chosen by you the Cinema Around the Corner Film Club. Past screenings have included Wild Tales Directed by Damian Szifron and 8 1/2 directed by Federco Fellini

See the posters for the screenings to date here

Read more about Cinema Around the Corner here

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Hit The North Font

TheyEatCulture created a crowdsourced FONT, getting  letters or a character drawn by individuals across the city and  making an open source font that was free for all to use.

Letters were inspired by the NORTH.

more information coming soon

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I’m Glad You’re Here was the first in a series of creative engagements with Preston’s train station that TheyEatCulture delivered as part of their major Arts Council funded project Hit the North.

Manchester artist Lowri Evans brought the premiere of I’m Glad You’re Here to Preston Railway Station, co-produced by Derelict Sites and TheyEatCulture.

During April 2015, Evans met passengers at Preston Train Station with a series of bespoke greetings.

Through advance booking those sick of carrying themselves through long journeys (and perhaps life in general), could take their pick from a menu of encounters, this was their chance to have a fleeting, filmic moment in an unlikely place.

Menu of encounters:

The Red Carpet. Arrive in Preston with style. As you hit the red carpet, you will receive a choice of sparkling water or wine, a paparazzi photo and some shades. Expect to give your autograph. (5 minutes)

Favourite Things. Feel at home with a personalised welcome. Upon leaving the train you will be served a food and drink of your choice as your favourite song plays. (5 minutes)

The Cheer Cheer. Everyone will be rooting for you at Preston. Featuring a banner, a crowd and optional confetti shower. (5 minutes)

The Day Porter. For those who want some help carrying their bags, or themselves, off the train. Features include a gloved porter, a trolley and some comfortable slippers.

The Catch Up. Over-familiar is the word. You will receive a hug and conversation on a subject of your choice.

The Brief Encounter. Experience a filmic moment on the platform which includes dramatic facial expressions, a dramatic run and an over the top hug.

The Heavy. A security guard will meet you off the train, complete with ear piece, and serve a secure exit from the train station. Sunglasses included.

Railway Children. Emerge from the train to a tearful, emotional welcome á la the classic film, The Railway Children. Run, hug and hankies included.

Read more about Hit the North Here

This page has been created as a resource to support our film projects audience and workshop participants providing interesting screen literacy information on specialised and British film.

Ben Wheatley screenings

Brought to you as part of a BFI funded series of screenings by the film director  Ben Wheatley exploring where the HIGH-RISE, KILL LIST & SIGHTSEERS director has come from, and his place on the screen.

Introduction by Adam Scovell  created for a They Eat Cultures screening of A Field in England

Adam Scovell is a writer and filmmaker currently based in London.  He is studying for a PhD in film music and transcendental aesthetics at Goldsmiths.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WlDHnvsZso&feature=youtu.be

Q&A with director Ben Wheatley and actor Reece Shearsmith following the screening of A Field in England (2013) on Sunday July 7 2013.

https://soundcloud.com/icalondon/a-field-in-england-q-a-ben

Laurie Rose on Ben Wheatley’s films

Cinematographer Laurie Rose takes a look back at working with Ben Wheatley on all of his films to date.

http://www.film4.com/special-features/interviews/laurie-rose-qa

Q&A: Luke Evans and Ben Wheatley

http://www.film4.com/special-features/interviews/ben-wheatley-luke-evans

Mr & Mrs Wheatley blog

http://mrandmrswheatley.blogspot.co.uk/

Reviews of Down Terrace

http://beamesonfilm.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/down-terrace-review.html

http://the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/review-1055-down-terrace-2009.html

http://blahblahblahgay.blogspot.co.uk/2011/06/down-terrace-2009.html

The Violators screening

HELEN WALSH SHORT BIOGRAPHY Author / Writer-Director

http://theyeatculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/HELEN-WALSH-SHORT-BIOGRAPHY.pdf

DAVID A HUGHES SHORT BIOGRAPHY Producer

http://theyeatculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DAVID-A-HUGHES-SHORT-BIOGRAPHY.pdf

The Violators – Press release

Talks Interviews and Trailers

The British Film Institute:  http://www.bfi.org.uk/talks-interviews-trailers

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/film+tone/interview

Film 4 http://www.film4.com/special-features/interviews

Reviews

The Skinny Magazine: bringing you Independent Cultural Journalism and events online and in print

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/

Sight and Sound: The BFI international film magazine

http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine

Young Programmer resources

How to watch film critically document

Critical film watching record document

Film Clasification quizz

Film Festivals

Leigh Film Festival 24th September http://www.leighfilmfestival.com/

Doors open at 6pm with a Bar & refreshments available throughout the evening. The films will be shown between 7pm and 9.30pm with an interval in between. We finish the evening with an after-show party.

After the films have been shown, there will be an opportunity to participate in an internet vote to declare the winner of the evening’s “Audience Choice” award.

BFI London Film Festival Oct 2016 http://www.bfi.org.uk/lff

Sheffield Doc/Fest is a world leading and the UK’s premier documentary festival, celebrating the art and business of documentary.  https://sheffdocfest.com/

Leeds International Film Festival http://www.leedsfilm.com

Manchester International Film Festival http://www.maniff.com/

Programme Notes from Cinema Around the Corners screenings

  An Angel at My Table (15)
TUES 12 JULY, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Dir Jane Campion /1990
download programme notes

Oscar Nominated Animation
Shorts 2016 (PG)
TUES 23 AUG, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Dir: Various
download programme notes

Berberian Sound Studio
(15)
TUES 6 SEP, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Director: Peter Strickland/2012
download programme notes

Inherent Vice (15)
TUES 31 MAY, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Dir Paul Thomas Anderson/2014
download programme notes

Suffragette (12A)
TUES 14 JUNE, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Dir Sarah Gavron/2015
download programme notes

2016 Oscar Nominated Short
Films
download programme notes

Norwegian Wood (15)
TUES 8 AUG, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Dir Tran Anh Hung /2010
download programme notes

Alfred Hitchcock
Presents (PG)
FRI 2ND, 19:30 – ROALD DAHL ON FILM
USA/1958-1965/
download programme notes

A Field in England (15)
TUES 13 SEP, 19:15 – FILM CLUB
Director: Ben Wheatley / 2013 /
download programme notes

For more information on our current Cinema programme of activities please visit http://theyeatculture.org/current/cat/

Supported by The BFI and Film Hub North West Central

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Connecting - sharing voices of local people with local people

Talk to Me is an artist-led digital experiment, an ongoing public conversation, harnessing public thinking and ideas around response to place and environment.

It exists as a physical digital installation booth and a website, takes a dialogic, artistically relevant, accessible approach to artist-led public consultation and co-production.

Talk To Me was initially commissioned by The Harris Museum, Art Gallery, and Library, Preston. You can commission, and invite your community to Talk to Me.

www.talk-to-me.tv

Our audience (both in the booth and online) saw a digital artwork, were asked a question, and their response was recorded. They were be able to join in the conversation, ask questions and record answers online and through social media, to create a conversation between our physical and digital audiences.

Our commissioners are interested in experimenting with the evaluation process to get closer to the public’s opinions, abstracting it from the usual, lifting barriers of real feedback and participation, and placing this in an artistic realm through narrative accessible digital art pieces to invite creative and ‘from the heart’ responses from the public.

Each commissioned space had:

+ A thematic of questioning & specific questions commissioned by the commissioning body
+ Questions suggested by the general public
+ The booth on site for a week (or more dependent of needs).
+ A site-responsive artwork commissioned for digital online & physical instillation
+ A live social media conversation in the run up to and duration of the on site activity
+ An area of the Talk to Me website dedicated to the recorded & social media responses.

The artistic commissions are short collaborative piece across the online and physical instillation digital spaces.

Through the booth and the online spaces, the commissions play with notions from of reality tv ‘diary-rooms’, skype and instant message conversations and phone apps, digital archiving and remix, and nod to the ‘mass observation’ project of the mid 20th century. The artistic works set a narrative tone which interpret the environment in which the booth is placed, alongside exploring how the digital expands into our everyday life – through our own conscious and subconscious participation, by demand or by design.

The Harris Museum commission

The Harris Museum, Art Gallery, & Library intervention took place between 16 March – 23 March 2016. Exploring the Harris through questions and conversations with exhibition attendees in and around the Harris. Their experiences of The Harris and Preston, with reference to ideas around ‘the museum of the future’.

Sample responses:

Describe your most memorable time here.

Coming to the Preston guild in 1992, being greatly impressed by the wonderful community spirit and involvement with the different types of organisations, private companies, public sector organisations, trade associations, community groups, fabulous and it gave me the impression that Preston is a pretty good place, with proud history and a lot of people who like living in the place. See the full video response here: http://www.talk-to-me.tv/portfolio-item/david/

Why is this place important to you or to Preston?

As a student visiting the city I wouldn’t know anything about Preston without the museum. A museum is really important for students and it gives them a sense of place and it makes sure we aren’t being a bit parasitic to the city which we call home for 3 years.
See the full video response here: http://www.talk-to-me.tv/portfolio-item/sarah/

View the responses here,  post a question of your own or watch the commissioned audiovisual pieces by artists Tin Can People and Josh Horsley. http://www.talk-to-me.tv/explore-the-responses/

The ‘Talk to Me’ booth was designed by Rosanna Peploe and contructed and deliverd by our sponsors  Colon Contruction.

If you are interested in commissioning ‘Talk to Me’ please contact ruth@theyeatculture.org

www.talk-to-me.tv

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They Eat Culture’s theatre programme is joined by The Yappers Club! A new way of enjoying theatre and meeting like-minded people. Inspired by the classic book club format, Yappers Theatre Club is a new way to experience the many innovative and brilliant performances that are staged in Preston.

Theatre Club is free to attend, you just need to buy a ticket for the show! Find out more about the Yappers Club Here. 

Follow TEC’s blog for updates and reviews. 

…

Spring

 

 

Tonight I’m Gonna Be The New Me

Made In China

 

Wednesday 8th February

7.50pm doors open for 8pm show start 

tickets £8 / £6 concessions

Theatre returns to The Continental for 2017. A woman takes to the stage. A man watches from the wings. They both wonder if their love will survive what’s about to happen. Disarmingly honest and comically imagined, Tonight I’m Gonna Be The New Me is an arresting physical endurance act that crashes headfirst into an impossibly true love story. From Made In China Theatre.

 

‘slippery and teasing, murderously entertaining’

★★★★ The Guardian

‘Tantalisingly edgy…a stinging piece of entertainment’

★★★★ The Times

 

 

Borderlands

Public Burning Theatre

Thursday 23rd March

7.50pm doors open for 8pm show start

tickets £8 / £6 concessions

When Disney-loving Aminah meets blood-soaked Kayla in after-school detention, neither expects to bring a whole community to its knees. Borderland is a provocative, urgent look at modern-day segregation; a story of race, class, sexuality and power. This play will challenge liberal and traditional values alike.

Praise for previous Public Burning Theatre productions:

 

“Excellent ★★★★★”

The Skinny

 

“Theatre at its best … flawless … award-worthy stuff.”

Julie Hesmondhalgh

Ticket Information 

All the performances in our programme are ticketed at the following price;

General Admission £8 | Concession £6 | 2for1 student deal £8

20% discount on Group Booking of 10+

Purchase tickets from SEE Tickets, WeGotTickets, Skiddle or in person from The Continental‘s Bar (01772 499 425)

 

 

Past Autumn Programme

 

Paines Plough presents

EVERY BRILLIANT THING by Duncan Macmillan

Thursday 15th September, 8pm

* Running Time: 60 minutes

*Suitable for over 14s

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★★★★ The Guardian ”Heart-wrenching, hilarious…possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see.”

You’re six years old. Mum’s in hospital. Dad says she’s ‘done something stupid’. She finds it hard to be happy. 

So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. 

Everything that’s worth living for.

1. Ice Cream

2. Kung Fu Movies

3. Burning Things

4. Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose

5. Construction cranes

6. Me

You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. 

Soon, the list will take on a life of its own.

A new play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love. Based on true and untrue stories.

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ORPHEUS

by Alexander Wright & Phil Grainer

Wednesday, 28 September 2016, 8pm

*Running Time: 60 minutes

*Suitable for over 14s

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Dave is single, stood with his mates at the bar, and is turning 30 next week. 

Eurydice is a mythical dryad – a tree nymph. 

This is a tale of impossible, death defying love; a tale of this world and the underworld; a tale of soul music and late night karaoke.

Told through spoken word and soaring live music, Alexander Wright (The Flanagan Collective) and Phil Grainger (Gobbledigook) weave a world full of dive bars and side streets and ancient gods.

A new, modern telling of Orpheus & The Underworld.

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Breath Out Theatre presents

THAT GOLDEN AGE by Rob Johnston

Thursday, 13 October 2016, 8pm

Mary Read and Anne Bonny were two of the most notorious pirates ever to ply the waters of the Caribbean during the early Eighteenth Century’s ‘golden age’ of piracy. 

Commanding hundreds of men and hijacking dozens of merchant ships it took the dedicated Government agent Jonathan Barnett, sent out specially from England at the request of the Governor of 

Jamaica, to call a halt to their high-seas adventures. 

Breathe Out Theatre’s stage production ‘That Golden Age’ tells how Mary Read, an English publican’s wife, and Anne Bonny, the daughter of an Irish lawyer, became two of the most infamous women in maritime history, how they took men on at the dangerous game of piracy, and how they ultimately paid the price for bettering men in a world men had largely invented.

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REMEMBER ME

by Tin Can People

Wednesday, 19 October 2016, 8pm

Welcome to our little soirée. Tonight, we will go down in history!

The smell of Rock & Roll is stained within the denim and thick within the smoke. The music is loud, the drums, even louder! Rock & Roll will never die and we will be remembered.

Presented somewhere between the stage and the backstage, 3 performers explore the layers of a live gig; the sweat, the anticipation, the noise, the competition, the ego, the rebellion, the mainstream and the image.

Tin Can People find the irony in Rock & Roll, referring to iconic albums and legendary bands. Remember Me is part-gig, part performance for an audience who like it loud!

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 A GIRL AND A GUN

by Louise Orwin 

Wednesday, 9 November 2016, 8pm

* Running Time: 70 minutes (no interval)

* Suitable for 14+

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Louise Orwin’s multi-layered show about stereotypical gender roles in film raises issues around our own collusion as movie watchers Lyn Gardner

This is a show about girls and guns. It’s a show that asks two people to take to the stage and play out a film script in front of you. It wonders what the difference might be in watching something on screen and experiencing something live. It is a show that asks what it means to be a hero, what it means to be a plot device, and what it means to watch.

This show is a challenge to Godard, every other film which star girls and guns as plot devices, and the audiences that watch them. It is also an admission and manifestation of ambiguity: Louise’s own confusion, as a woman, at being simultaneously repulsed and attracted to the kind of imagery and archetypes the show  explores.

Expect gun-twirlin’, play-actin’ and Nancy-Sinatra- dancin’.

And me. And you.

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GET YOURSELF TOGETHER

by Josh Coates 

Thursday, 17 November 2016, 8pm

* Running time 55 minutes (no interval)

* Suitable for 14+

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Is it my fault I’m like this? 

Is it my fault I’m angry? 

…is it?

One Christmas, Josh was diagnosed with depression and then hit by a car. The following year he was on Job Seekers whilst attempting to balance his sanity and gift buying. This is a show about being ill and being fit for work. This is a show about the DWP and being from Bolton. This is a show that explores the thin line between mental health as a clinical and a political issue.

Part stand up, part spoken word and part teenager in his room pretending he’s in a punk band, Get Yourself Together is new show from Royal Exchange supported artist, Josh Coates.

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 Forward Theatre Project presents

GENESIS by Frazer Flintham.