We asked you to write a letter to Sunderland penning your hopes and fears
What would you say to Sunderland? If you could say anything to the city would you be positive or negative, would you feel hopeful or hopeless about its future?
A new storytelling project, created in response to the public disorder in the city during summer 2024, is asking Wearsiders what would be in a letter if they could write to the city.
Last year, award-winning arts and culture project The Cultural Spring commissioned Unfolding Theatre to deliver a project exploring how the city sees itself more than a year after the August 2 riot.
Unfolding Theatre’s response, Dear Sunderland, has invited people from across the city to take part by writing a letter to the city – sharing thoughts, hopes, fears, memories, moments of pride and frustrations.
The north-east based theatre group has been working with community groups and other organisations across the city to collect letters for the project.
These have included CFO Sunderland, Sunderland MIND, Sunderland Student Union, A Band Like This, Creative Sparks Culture Start Group in Sulgrave, Winnibell Family Hub, and Friends of the Drop-In at Space 4 in Houghton-le-Spring.
Individuals have also contributed letters through Unfolding Theatre’s website.
While the letter collecting has been going on, writer Ray Hopkins has been working with Unfolding Theatre’s ‘house band’ A Band Like This to turn the letters into a performance with music and songs.
Dear Sunderland will be performed by professional actors and musicians at Pop Recs in High Street West on Thursday, March 26 at 6.30pm. Tickets, priced £3 to £5 can be booked here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dear-sunderland-tickets- 1984284070069?aff=oddtdtcreator
Stories of our city
Annie Rigby, Artistic Director at Unfolding Theatre, explained: “The performance of Dear Sunderland will bring together spoken word and music to tell stories from across the city. From children to elders, from lifelong residents to new arrivals, Dear Sunderland will bring people together to celebrate the remarkable stories and people that make up this wonderful city.
“Expect surprising connections, differences of opinion, everything from pure joy to deep frustration (and that’s just the football) and lots of laughter.”
Annie is hoping to perform a streamlined version of Dear Sunderland at pop-up performances at various venues during the Easter holidays, with venues and dates to be confirmed.
A digital recording of the show will be created and hosted on the websites of both Unfolding Theatre and The Cultural Spring. It will also be accessible through listening stations which will be installed across the city in community settings.
Annie explained the premise of the show: “Postal workers are delivering our letters across the city and read the letters out as they’re make their deliveries. The letters are so different – positive, negative and everything in between.
“They’re also from a massive variety of people, young and old, people who’ve lived here all their lives and people who just arrived, for whatever reason.
“The postal workers are waiting for a response that the city can’t give, so they suggest the letter writers respond to each other.”
Dear Sunderland is part of a wide project, Sunderland: Our Home that is being led by The Cultural Spring, overseen by its Community Cohesion Steering Group. The Cultural Spring commissioned two organisations, Sunderland-based Southpaw Dance Company and Unfolding Theatre to deliver two major storytelling projects.
Southpaw’s project, 3.1, uses brand new technology to convert 2D images into a 3D, mixed reality experience which will be viewed through virtual reality headsets and incorporate live performers.
The project explores the August 2 riot through the perspective of four very different individuals.
Funding for the Sunderland: Our Home project has come from Sunderland City Council and the UK government through the Community Renewal Fund, and through Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places funding.