Restoke

05/09/2026

New visiting show alert! 🚨

11 extraordinary singers invite you into a unique and visceral sound world in "everything slips", visiting The Ballroom on Sat 17 Oct, 7pm.

💬 ‘Song erupts around you… it’s startling, moving and genuinely immersive.’ – The Guardian

We are so excited to welcome composer, director, performer and choir leader Verity Standen ​back to Stoke-on-Trent! We have been lucky enough to collaborate on projects in the past and to finally be able to host a full show in the Ballroom is a dream.

🎟️ https://www.ticketsource.com/restoke/everything-slips/e-arkzpe

29/08/2026

This weekend we celebrate FIVE years since we reopened the Ballroom at Fenton Town Hall!! We are forever grateful to be custodians of this epic space which has allowed our vision and this community's creativity to expand beyond what we could have dreamt of 5 years ago. We've hosted hundreds of creative workshops, danced and sung with thousands of people, created a greek epic for the National Theatre, wrote folk tales and built a forest with a group of local teenagers, solved adult friendship dilemmas with tween girls. We've held hands, held our breath, held our nerve, held challenging conversations... whilst also being held by your support, creativity, hugs, cheerleading and belief. Big love to everyone who has been part of the adventures so far! 🩷🧡🩵

📸 Jenny Harper

21/08/2026

The Friendship Lab 💜

Film by Ben Williams
Music by Paul Rogerson (made using samples of the girls voices!)

The Friendship Lab is a company of young girls who tackle adults’ friendship dilemmas through dance, songs, debate and brutally honest wisdom!

Devised & performed by Amelia, Darcie, Evelyn, Katie, Luna, Martha, Meg & Monroe

Creative team (a-z!): Alex Shenton, April Dalton, Barry Smith, Clare Reynolds, Emily Adams, Gabriella Gay, Georgina Clare, Izzy Morse-Pickard, Lou Cope, Nic Winstanley, Oly Goncalves, Paul Rogerson, Sarah Nadin, Sarah Richardson, Shanice Harris

17/08/2026

THERE'S STILL TIME TO APPLY FOR RISK SPACE

We're looking for 8 emerging artists to join our first cohort, supporting you to find your artistic voice with a focus on performance making, co-creation and socially engaged practice. Through workshops, mentoring, free space and shadowing opportunities and in partnership with Rhiannon Faith Company.

If you've been thinking about applying, this is your reminder: Don't leave it until the last minute!

Not sure if you're close enough, or have any access doubts? Drop Oly a message on [email protected], we'd rather you ask than miss out.

Applications close 3rd September. All the info: https://www.restoke.org.uk/risk-space

**CALLING EMERGING PERFORMANCE MAKERS IN STOKE-ON-TRENT & NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE**

Restoke, in partnership with Rhiannon Faith Company are launching Risk Space – supporting emerging artists to find their artistic voice, with a focus on performance making, co-creation and socially engaged practices.

Making art is impossible without taking risks, so we’re creating supportive spaces to test, fail and learn. Through workshops, shadowing opportunities, free space and support to produce your own events, Risk Space will support a community of performance artists and makers in the area.

All the info: https://www.restoke.org.uk/risk-space

14/08/2026

🎼 Town Hall Choir 🎶

In the safe hands of Oksana Demkiv, we loved performing gorgeous Ukrainian folk songs in our home Fenton Town Hall for the opening of Arts Keele Three Counties Open Art exhibition!

Check it out - the exhibition is open Tues-Sat 11am-3pm until 29th August.

12/08/2026

We hope you're all enjoying the summer hols 🌞

Our regular sessions for children & young people are all back in September. All free to take part, and something for every age from toddlers to teens!

👶 Toddler Dance (walking - 5) Thurs 10.15-11am
👣 Restoke Small Folk (5-9) Thurs 4.15 & Sat 10am
🤸🏿‍♀️ Capoeira Kids (7-13) Thurs 5.15-6.15pm
🪩 Restoke Youth (10-13) Sat 11-12pm
👫 Power Project (13-18) Wed 5-7pm

Sign up via our ticketsource page: https://www.ticketsource.com/restoke

📸 Jenny Harper

10/08/2026

Beyond Storytelling: Safe & Ethical Practice for Artists Working with Personal & Collective Stories

A day exploring the ethics, care and responsibilities of co-creating performance from people's lived experiences, with Clark Baim (Birmingham Institute for Psychodrama / Geese Theatre UK), Lou Platt (Artist Wellbeing) and Clare Reynolds (Restoke).

A morning workshop on the Drama Spiral Method, a decision-making tool for safe and ethical practice. In the afternoon, Clare shares 17 years of Restoke's co-creation work in Stoke-on-Trent, followed by group discussion facilitated by Lou.

For artists and organisations already working in this way, co-creating performance from personal and collective stories.

📅 Wednesday 23rd September 2026, 10am - 4pm
📍 The Ballroom at Fenton Town Hall, Albert Square, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 3FA
💷 £40 (+ TicketSource fees), lunch provided

Tickets & info: https://www.ticketsource.com/restoke/beyond-storytelling-safe-amp-ethical-practice-for-artists-working-with-personal-amp-collective-stori/e-rpzmvb

07/08/2026

“Hard truths and banging tunes” ⭐ “Thank you for a brilliant night. I can’t wait to go dancing with my friends, it’s been too long!” ⭐ “Funny, thought provoking and SO relatable” ⭐

We're reflecting on The Friendship Lab at last month. THANK YOU to our incredible audiences who laughed, cried, voted, made new pals, texted old pals during these shows. All created with this company of girls, as one audience member put it: “Paving the way for the next generation of Self Esteems!” 💜

📸 Jenny Harper
📚 Drop City Books

Company: Amelia, Darcie, Evelyn, Katie, Luna, Martha, Meg & Monroe

Creative team (a-z!): Alex Shenton, April Dalton, Barry Smith , Clare Reynolds, Emily Adams, Gabriella Gay, Georgina Clare, Izzy Morse-Pickard, Lou Cope, Nic Winstanley, Oly Goncalves, Paul Rogerson, Sarah Nadin, Sarah Richardson, Shanice Harris.

31/07/2026

Arts, Justice, and Harm Reduction: A Community of Practice ✊

From November we're hosting a Community of Practice to develop, experiment with, and share ways of using creative practice to explore abolition, harm reduction and transformative justice.

The community of practice is open to arts practitioners and those working in community support services.

One of two parallel communities of practice, here in Stoke on Trent and London (Central School of Speech and Drama). Each will have up to 15 members.

Instigated and organised by Sarah Bartley (Central School of Speech and Drama)

For more info and how to apply: https://www.restoke.org.uk/artsandjustice

27/07/2026

**CALLING EMERGING PERFORMANCE MAKERS IN STOKE-ON-TRENT & NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE**

Restoke, in partnership with Rhiannon Faith Company are launching Risk Space – supporting emerging artists to find their artistic voice, with a focus on performance making, co-creation and socially engaged practices.

Making art is impossible without taking risks, so we’re creating supportive spaces to test, fail and learn. Through workshops, shadowing opportunities, free space and support to produce your own events, Risk Space will support a community of performance artists and makers in the area.

All the info: https://www.restoke.org.uk/risk-space