Exeter Northcott Theatre will be continuing their Heritage Talks in October, with a new panel event that will tackle the changing role of regional theatre in the south west.

The Northcott’s panel events are part of a wider project funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, which through workshops, oral history collection, new artworks and exhibitions, gathers a wide range of perspectives and voices from audiences, artists and communities. The first panel of the series took place back in May and looked at the impact of women on the theatre’s history, specifically exploring what their stories revealed about the experiences of women in the arts more widely. In June, a second panel explored representation and ethnic diversity at the theatre; who historically has been able to tell their stories and how do we change this moving forward.

In early September, the series continued with a panel on accessibility and theatre, chaired by Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director and CEO of Graeae Theatre, and Plymouth based Producer Dan Baker. The event discussed accessibility and the arts, particularly for people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and disabled people; how this has been approached historically and what needs to change moving forward.

All previous panel events can be viewed on the Exeter Northcott’s youtube channel here.

On Tuesday 5^th of October, the Northcott will host its third instalment of the series, coinciding with the Exeter Fringe Festival. The conversation will be chaired by Northcott’s Artist Development Producer Helen Bovey and will discuss the changing role of regional theatre in the south west, including how the theatre’s changing role in Devon has impacted theatre makers and organisations working with communities. Tickets can be booked here.

Following this on the 10^th of November at 6pm, the Northcott will host another event, titled ‘Theatres Produce Memories,’ in partnership with Exeter Local History Society and Exeter Memories. The talk will explore local history and reminiscence about former Northcott productions and projects with its local community.

Approaching the end of the year, the archive’s commissioning circle of local community representatives will host an event asking: “What would we like the theatre archive to contain in 50 years’ time?” to imagine and plan for what comes next. This will take place on the 8^th of December at 6pm. 

You can pre-book Northcott’s November heritage talk here, and December’s Heritage talk here. 

To find out more about the Northcott Heritage project, see: https://www.exeternorthcott.co.uk/heritage/.