International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia - actions we can take to build hope. In our current climate, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHoBiT) feels more important than ever before. From government policy to rises in transphobia – there have been a lot of occasions this … Read More
BSL consultant BSL stands for British Sign Language and we use this language in theatres to make theatre performance accessible to deaf audiences. My role is to work alongside directors, actors and other creatives, to ensure that … Read More
Gemma Green: The stakes of separation when children are involved When I realised that the possibility of separating from my husband was actually very real my first thought turned to my daughter. As I looked at her school photo hung up on the wall my … Read More
Cast announced for Art with Heart’s heart-warming family show Stan Powerful and poignant new production Stan, commissioned by Z-arts and developed by Art with Heart has announced the cast for their Spring tour. Developed with the help of over 200 deaf and hearing primary school … Read More
Art with Heart’s new show Stan roars into venues across the UK for Spring tour Celebrating the power of play, the joy of communication and the positive force of friendship, Stan (named after the T-Rex at Manchester Museum) is a powerful and poignant new production, commissioned by Z-arts and developed … Read More
Rachel's National Coming Out Day Reflections On my birthday this summer I hit the strangest of milestones – I had now spent more of my life ‘out’ than ‘in’. The older I get the stranger I find the concept of coming … Read More
Wordsmith and Worldweaver, Pauline Poet Pauline has been sharing her wonderful words throughout lockdown, a new passion that we’re so pleased she discovered– because she’s fantastic at it! She tells the stories of her experiences as a trans woman, … Read More
The Man with A Thousand Faces, Glyn Mean, moody and magnificent, Glyn is the Man with a Thousand Faces. Inspired by Western Movies, Glyn’s imaginative portrait portrays the ever-changing emotions he’s felt throughout lockdown. Tied together with cinematic flair, Glyn relished the opportunity … Read More
Planting Seeds of Change, Lesley Planting seeds of hope and change is what Lesley’s good at, attending protests for many years and still owning signs from the 80s. Passionate and powerful, Lesley wants to change the world for the better, … Read More
Rapscallion of Rugby, Barry and Brandishing her Brushes, Brenda Barry and Brenda are the first ever married couple to frequent the Old Stock New Stock studio! They spend a lot of their time travelling over to their caravan – and have revealed to us … Read More
Engineering Expert, Jagruti Inspired by Jagruti’s illustrious career as an engineer while honouring her religion and path to becoming a teacher, Jagruti’s portrait represents a side of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) that’s rarely seen. A trailblazer back … Read More
Adventurous Announcer, John DJ John has returned behind the decks to tell us all about his passion for important broadcast announcements. John has over thirty years’ experience as a broadcaster, so he’s super interested in all things live … Read More
Charity Shop Hot-Shots, Janet and Cindy Experienced charity shop enthusiasts, Janet and Cindy can take any garment and create a fabulous friendship fashion show! An energetic whirlwind of fun, these two friends met just a couple of years ago, and their … Read More
Explore SPACE online- launching our virtual wellbeing space SPACE is a mobile wellbeing room shaped by the people that occupy it. Local people who might not usually meet, come together to take time for themselves. It’s a celebration and a place to just be for a while … Read More
Dial In - creative activities to build connections Tired of talking about the pandemic? Out of practice in making conversation? Looking to connect? Fancy getting creative? Dial in - we’re here to help! Designed for use over the phone, in person or via video call, Dial In … Read More
Announcing our seed fund recipients We're over the moon to have received an impressive 88 applications for our seed fund for working class creatives based in Greater Manchester. Every single application we received was filled with brilliant people, fantastic ideas … Read More
New seed fund opportunity from Art with Heart Art with Heart are offering up to £500 per application to develop an idea along with some mentoring support from Art with Heart and help in signing up to Islington Mill’s free business support programme. This … Read More
Being Transgender: the hurt and the pain - Poetry by Pauline Smith One of the participants of our project, Dial, has recently sent us two poems that we would like to share. These poems were originally published in Talking About My Generation - a publication for over … Read More
Civic spaces of care Art for all Since 2016 we have been running our Equalities Workshops in schools, prisons and workplaces - holding open discussions on inequality, equity, the justice system, the difference between law and society, and collective and … Read More
A Covid-19 Conversation Capsule by Alice Proctor A Covid-19 Conversation Capsule Amongst the tumbleweed of local lockdowns, fading furlough, too much twitter and the erratic Manchester weather, this summer for 5 Tuesdays I had something written in my diary. In pen! Confirmed. A … Read More
Every Act Impacts by Lesley Downing This summer we paired 5 Greater Manchester based artists with 25 elders from across the region with the simple aim of connecting with one another. We called this project ‘Dial’ as it took place over … Read More
Refreshing Perspectives by Chelsea Morgan Refreshing Perspectives Chelsea has loved every second of every conversation as part of Dial. Connecting with new people. Challenging her own pre-conceptions with new, refreshing perspectives. Collecting nuggets off wisdom. Learning a lot. Constantly being inspired. Remembering. Laughing. Lots of … Read More
Equal parts strangers and faceless friends by Ella Otomewo Equal parts strangers and faceless friends Whenever folks would ask me about this project while I was working on it, I would always get a little excited, and say, "Well it's a bit different from my … Read More
Meeting is the most human of inventions by Roma Havers Meeting is the most human of inventions ‘Human nature is not just your loved ones, it’s the people you meet’. That was Dudley’s response to our first call together back in July. Throughout lockdown the potential … Read More
Cards of Connection by Joe Gilmour-Rees Cards of Connection Earlier in the summer, Rachel asked me to be part of Art with Heart’s Dial project. Over five weeks I would ring five older participants from Greater Manchester. The idea was to create … Read More
We need more than ‘coming out’ stories to come out: why theatre needs better queer programming. Woman. Bisexual/Pansexual. Working-class. Neurodivergent. I’m a few tick boxes, and ‘coming out’ usually takes 15 minutes, includes a Q&A and a myth-busting FAQ section. I talk about my sexuality quite a lot, and I’m always correcting … Read More
Ross Thompson: A letter to the powerful Since the start of lockdown I've had conversations with 16 freelancers who have asked for help and advice about how to navigate the pandemic, how to 'get ready' when things open up, or how to up-skill because they … Read More
What lockdown has meant for older people, and why we need to talk about it. It’s not hard to end up fixated on your own experiences during lockdown. All of us are facing our own challenges and fears – whether it’s worry for our families and friends, trepidation over our … Read More
A People Powered Programme for Change A People Powered Programme for Change It’s been a while since we last spoke, and during that time the world has been turned upside down and the arts industry has been fast approaching a precipice. On … Read More
This is where the hope comes in: Alice Proctor's Equalities workshop reflections Last month we should have been venturing into schools across Greater Manchester to deliver more of our Equalities Workshops to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17th. Instead we spent May reimagining what our equalities … Read More
The difference between tolerance and acceptance: Hebe Reilly's Equalities Workshop reflections Last month we should have been venturing into schools across Greater Manchester to deliver more of our Equalities Workshops to mark International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on May 17th. Instead we spent May reimagining what our equalities … Read More
Tragedy cannot be the catalyst for change This Tuesday many of us paused our social media channels in solidarity with black people across the world. If Tuesday was a day for reflection, then each day forward must be a day marked with action. As … Read More
Quietly and deeply radical: Jenny Gaskell's reflects on our Equalities Workshops Jenny Gaskell spent LGBTQ+ History Month helping to deliver our Equalities Workshops to schools across Greater Manchester for LGBTQ History Month. We asked her to reflect on her time in schools with us… 'So, I don’t know … Read More
We’re back in the G-M-C-A (Culture Fund) It's fun to stay in the G-M-C-A! We are thrilled to announce that we will be part of the Greater Manchester Culture Fund portfolio for 2020-2022. We joined the portfolio for the first time in 2018 … Read More
International Day of Older Persons Happy International Day of Older Persons! To mark this important day we are sharing a behind the scenes video from 'Old Stock, New Stock', a photographic exhibition which formed part of our recent project The Golden … Read More
A Q&A with the This is Our Time film squad This summer we've been touring The Golden Years Caravan, a roving cinema and art gallery featuring a series of ambitious artworks which confront common perceptions of ageing and retirement. The Golden Years Caravan is a celebration of the curiosity, creativity and culture … Read More
Casting call out! We're casting for our tour of Stan! Please read breakdown carefully - we are looking for specifics not just general submissions. Please apply with a CV and headshot or your Spotlight CV link along with a covering … Read More
LGBTQ+ Equality Today- Alice's reflections Alice has been working with us to open conversations around LGBTQ+ at schools across Greater Manchester, here are some of her reflections on how we can continue to learn and be a better ally. Assisting the delivery … Read More
LGBTQ Equality today - Chelsea's reflections Chelsea Morgan has been working with us in February supporting us to deliver our Equalities Workshop to schools across Greater Manchester for LGBTQ History Month. We asked her to reflect on her time in schools … Read More
The Positivity of Difference - Cellist Jo-anne Cox on Declaration As part of our tour of Declaration we invited audience members we met along the way to share their responses as part of a series of guest blogs. Our third guest writer is Jo-anne Cox is a cellist with … Read More
Photographers- We want you! PHOTOGRAPHERS- WE WANT YOU!! We’re looking for a brilliant photographer to partner with us on an exciting participatory arts project. We’re looking for a good egg to create a series of dynamic photographs in collaboration with retired … Read More
ADHD Norfolk CEO talks Declaration and the importance of representation As part of our tour of Declaration we invited audience members we met along the way to share their responses as part of a series of guest blogs. Our second guest writer is Andrea Bell, founder of ADHD … Read More
Lifting the weight of shame- Reflections on Declaration As part of our tour of Declaration we’ve invited audience members we’ve met along the way to share their responses as part of a series of guest blogs. Our first guest writer is Priscilla Eyles, who … Read More
Sarah Emmott talks Declaration and creating autobiographical work If you follow us on social media, you’ll have seen a lot of stuff about our play Declaration, a frank, funny and fearless journey through ADHD and mental health. We’re touring Declaration across the UK until the end of November. Thinking of … Read More
Q&A with Declaration Director Rachel If you follow us on social media, you’ll have seen a lot of stuff about our play Declaration, a frank, funny and fearless journey through ADHD and mental health. We’re touring Declaration across the UK until the … Read More
Declaration Autumn Tour Announcement We’re super excited to be taking our Award-winning theatre project Declaration back on the road this Autumn. Declaration UK Tour: October – November 2018 After winning the ADHD Foundation Partnership Award in 2017, Art with Heart return … Read More
Making Stan- Sarah Emmott on looking after ourselves whilst making work Stan, Scaling Up and Sustainability If you follow us on social media, you may have noticed our feeds have been chock-full of dinosaurs! That’s because we’ve been busy working on our new play Stan, written by our very … Read More
Stan- Rachel Moffatt-Feldman offers tips for working with an interpreter Stan If you follow us on social media, you may have noticed our feeds have been chock-full of dinosaurs! That's because we've been busy working on our new play Stan, written by our very own Sarah Emmott. A bilingual … Read More
Stan- Performer Vilma Jackson on children reacting to BSL Stan If you follow us on social media, you may have noticed our feeds have been chock-full of dinosaurs! That's because we've been busy working on our new play Stan, written by our very own Sarah Emmott. A bilingual … Read More
Art with Heart's Privacy Policy Your personal privacy is important to us. This page will tell you all about how we handle your personal data and how we keep it safe. If you want to talk to us about our privacy … Read More
30 years since Section 28: Our Equalities Workshops during LGBTQ+ History Month This Hate Crime Awareness Week within LGBTQ+ History Month has felt pretty significant. This year it has been 30 years since anti LGBTQ+ clause Section 28* was introduced by Thatcher and 100 years since the … Read More
World Theatre (Birth)Day! Today is World Theatre Day and also Belgrade Theatre, Coventry's 60th birthday! 10 years ago I (Sarah Emmott) worked at the Belgrade on Chris Cooper's new play 'Promise' for Year 6 pupils. Being part of … Read More
Art with Heart join GMCA Culture and Social Impact Fund portfolio We’ve secured funding to help aid positive social change across Greater Manchester communities We are delighted to announce that we will be joining the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Culture and Social Impact Fund portfolio for … Read More
We're casting! We're casting for our exciting new play - Stan Please read breakdown carefully - we are looking for specifics not just general submissions. Please apply with a CV and headshot or your Spotlight CV link along with … Read More
And so we told 'em about the wonder of Peter Holden We are saddened to hear of the loss of Peter Holden. In Peter, Manchester has lost one of its finest creatives, and one of the warmest, most generous men we had the pleasure of meeting. We … Read More
#TimeToTalkDay: Theatre and Mental Health Today is Time To Talk Day, a day dedicated to encouraging people to talk more openly about mental health. Brilliant!! Personal and collective wellbeing is a top priority here at Art with Heart and something we … Read More
Sarah's Declaration Tour Blog for World Mental Health Day Today is World Mental Health Day, so after spending three months on the road this year with Declaration, Sarah has written this blog about what it was like touring a production which speaks so honestly about your own. I … Read More
Sarah makes The Purple List! Exciting news klaxon! Sarah has been listed on Biscuit’s Purple List! The Purple List grew from the lack of visibility of bisexual people on the Rainbow List - and Sarah is in good company including local bi activists Jen … Read More
Declaration Guest Blog 3: Gill Powell, Oldham Library As part of our tour of Declaration we’ve invited audience members we’ve met along the way to share their responses as part of a series of guest blogs. Our third guest writer is Gill Powell, who has previously … Read More
DO WE NEED ‘SPACE’? Personal and collective wellbeing has been at the forefront of Declaration and as Maddy Costa recently explored in Exuent Magazine, this extends much further than the play we are touring. As part of our tour of Declaration we offer … Read More
Declaration Guest Blog 2: James Woods, Ellesmere Port As part of our tour of Declaration we've invited audience members we've met along the way to share their responses as part of a series of guest blogs. We were pleasantly surprised when one audience member … Read More
Declaration Guest Blog 1: Ben Foreman, Brentwood As part of our tour of Declaration we've invited audience members we've met along the way to share their responses as part of a series of guest blogs. Our first guest writer is Ben Foreman, who … Read More
Declaration Tour Kicks Off: Sarah's blog Two weeks down and only six weeks to go! Opening our tour of Declaration in Oldham felt halfway between the comfort and safety of a home audience and being out on the road with audiences we’ve … Read More
Devoted & Disgruntled: Audience Wellbeing Rachel talks Freesheets, helplines and asks: how can we do better? This was my first D & D and I hadn't planned on calling a session, however after hearing sessions called around artist wellbeing, mental health … Read More
Giving platforms, and listening to young people Sarah talks about her week working with young people during Hate Crime Awareness Week and LGBT History Month It’s been a really busy time for us! This month is LGBT History Month, and last week was … Read More
How can we make equality a reality? Youth perspectives on equality Rachel reflects on our Equalities Workshops with high school students in schools across Greater Manchester for National Anti-Bullying Week. Over this past year a number of Art with Heart’s projects have unintentionally coincided with huge social … Read More
Dave from ADHD group MADDchester reviews Declaration Premiering Declaration at our second home, The Lowry, felt really special and we received a 5* review from The Reviews Hub, but an exciting review came out of the blue from Dave who supports adults from all … Read More
Our jaunt to Scotland for a special performance at Paines Plough’s Roundabout at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe We had a great time performing Declaration in Edinburgh at Paines Plough’s Roundabout. We were joined by a lovely, packed, friendly crowd and had a blast meeting audience members from all over the UK and the World. It’s a well know fact … Read More
Raising our tea cups to the Skinners’ Company Lady Neville Charity With supported from the Skinners’ Company Lady Neville Charity, who give small grants to local grass-roots organisations, we were able to invest in some much needed equipment for Art with Heart this year. We were able … Read More
Sarah: How ADHD has shaped her career Sarah talks to The Reviews Hub about the reason behind making Declaration – a new piece of theatre which explores gaining an ADHD diagnosis as an adult and has been developed as part of The Lowry’s “Developed … Read More
Rachel talks to The Lowry for Mental Health Awareness Week The Lowry interviewed Rachel for Mental Health Awareness Week. Here it is! Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) is commonly associated with children and is a group of behavioural symptoms including inattentiveness, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. For adults … Read More
Whose responsibility is it to make arts venues a safe space for vulnerable individuals? Rachel was contacted by publication Ziggy’s Wish to contribute to a discussion around our duty of care as artists to audiences. Her contribution is below. If you would like to read the full Ziggy’s Wish … Read More
Sarah’s Declaration rehearsal blog Sarah talks our preparations for Declaration including the fear and excitement of making something new, looking after yourself and the importance of other people outside the rehearsal room After months of sitting at a laptop staring … Read More
Happy International Women’s Day! Happy International Women’s Day! Today we will be thinking about gender equality and celebrating the historical, local and international women close to our heart. For International Women’s Day 2016 we created a new project called ‘Ordinary … Read More
Happy 2016! Happy new year! (We realise it’s a bit late!). This is a big round up so grab a brew! 2015 was a brilliant year; we took Secret Diaries on tour, took part in and facilitated panels, … Read More
LGBT Youth North West becomes The Proud Trust! LGBT Youth North West holds a special place in my heart. Amelia and Sally’s passion and dedication is infectious and has led me to work, volunteer and create freelance projects with them and Art with Heart … Read More
Hope at the end of the world Sarah, our Creative Director spent the week at Belgrade Theatre, Coventry creating a piece of Physical Theatre. Here’s how her week went (see her photos of the week on our Instagram). I spent last week running … Read More
Catherine’s tour blog: Cast, radio, big screens and music treats! Catherine talks radio interviews, vibrant spaces and exclusive music gigs… After a wonderful reception at Harrow we were in fine fettle when we set out bright and early for the long journey to Cast Theatre in … Read More
Rachel’s tour blog: Harrow Arts Centre and the penultimate week! Rachel Moorhouse, Secret Diaries Director talks banners, crowdfunders and the penultimate week! We were so busy admiring the facade of the Grade II listed building that we almost missed it. As we pulled into Harrow Arts Centre … Read More
Sarah’s tour blog: Writer’s nerves, Wolverhampton and loving what you do Sarah talks supportive spaces, writer’s nerves and loving what you do… I was really excited to go to Wolverhampton. After receiving the email from a young person at SJT to tell us about his experience (read … Read More
Mike’s Tour Blog: Sun, seaside fun and international audiences at Stephen Joseph Theatre Mike talks seaside, fun, food and making a difference with theatre at the superb Stephen Joseph Theatre… The Stephen Joseph Theatre was one of the theatres I was really looking forward to: It’s in Yorkshire It’s … Read More
Blog from Max Riley Mills; a young person’s review of Secret Diaries Max Riley Mills came to see Secret Diaries at the egg. When we returned to the hotel we saw this wonderful blog about Secret Diaries on our social media feeds… I’ve never been to a play before. So when hearing … Read More