Dial-A-Story
Connecting isolated people with unique performances via a phone call
Continued social isolation has meant the closure of nearly all of the community venues we work with – libraries, community centres, places of worship… the places that bring people together. Since lockdown began, we’ve been exploring new ways to connect people with the arts, as a way of bringing something special into our ‘at home’ version of normality – through projects such as Zoom Café and through commissioning further episodes of Fred Jeffs: The Sweetshop Murder Podcast.
We quickly realised that while online performances are a great way of connecting with audiences at this time, many people without the internet are unable to use these services in the Black Country. These people are some of the most at risk of feeling isolated and lonely during the current crisis.
Last September, we launched Dial-A-Story, a project that saw three locally based artists perform 1-to-1 with people via a phone call. We partnered with community and voluntary organisations in Sandwell to reach people who would most benefit from a creative connection with an artist.
And it was a huge success! Over 100 performances of poetry, storytelling, and music were enjoyed by audiences from across the Black Country, who described their experiences as “magical,” told our artists that they were “bringing a lot of pleasure to people’s homes.” The performances connected with people in just the right way.
Due to the legitimate need for people to interact, feel connected and be part of the community we are delighted to announce this activity is rolling out once again this Spring – between late April and mid May. It is funded by Creative Black Country’s The F Words programme supported by Arts Council England.
We are really grateful to our funders for enabling us to explore new ways of bringing the arts into the lives of local people at this challenging time.
We are grateful for the support that made this project possible:
