Everyone has a story, and sometimes we are too busy to listen.

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In partnership with Southwark Playhouse, Riverside Studios and Buxton Opera House

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 In 2009 we piloted an event at the Southwark Playhouse which invited an audience to stop, look and listen to the stories of local people. Audience members were guided in small groups on foot to a series of locations, where they met and heard the stories of those who they might pass by every day. The event was profoundly moving for our audiences and participants alike, inspiring respect, stirring empathies, and creating insight into these human stories. 

 

A rare chance for Londoners to stop, slow down and meet the folk they rush past every day. Capturing and framing the natural and wonderful theatricality of real life, Moving Stories invites you to join a short promenade journey, meeting and listening to the stories of the fascinating characters with whom we share the city, but whose stories often go unheard. Your guide will lead you from place to place, gathering around the ice cream vendor’s van, the pub landlord’s bar, the Big Issue Seller’s street corner, where we can open our ears, our eyes and our hearts. 

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After a successful run at Southwark Playhouse, Moving Stories was revived at Riverside Studios and Buxton Opera House.

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 This event encapsulated our company ethos so perfectly that we renamed ourselves “Moving Stories’ and continue to build our work around truthful human stories.

 

“An unexpected gem of humanity’s raw beauty; what theatre should strive for!” (audience response). 

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“I am constantly trying to get as close to truth as possible, and to blur the boundaries between ‘performer’ and audience. As a Londoner, I am frequently frustrated by the speed at which we travel, and the hostility with which we interact with our fellow city dwellers. I wanted to create a space for people to slow down, look and listen to each others’ stories”  - Artistic Director of Moving Stories Emma Gersch