BARNSLEY College performing arts students attended the launch of ‘Calling Barnsley’ recently.
The project saw a classic phone box transformed into a dynamic story-telling space, offering a captivating glimpse into the heart of Barnsley through 30 monologues that reflect the rich and diverse stories of the town.
The launch event, held at the Civic, offered Barnsley College attendees a first look at this inspiring installation, alongside live readings of the monologues and opportunities to meet the talented creators behind the project.
The students worked alongside LUNG throughout 2024 to bring the project to life.
Matt Woodhead, co-director at LUNG and his colleagues conducted weekly workshops, introducing students to verbatim theatre techniques and encouraging them to reflect on their perspectives of the town and its surrounding boroughs.
The students were actively involved in casting the professional actors to perform the audio monologues and took on roles within the directing team during studio recording sessions. Additionally, students had the exciting opportunity to perform a selection of these monologues at the launch event, gaining first-hand experience of bringing a performing arts project to life.
Paul Atkins, Performing Arts course leader, said: “The students and the Performing Arts team at Barnsley College have thoroughly enjoyed working with Matt and the team. We deeply appreciate the opportunities this collaboration has provided, allowing our students to develop their skills and gain invaluable industry experience.”
You can visit this installation and listen to the hidden stories of Barnsley at Barnsley Civic until May.
