WE CREATE
Women of the Dark Skies
2023-24
CHANGE Festival producedWomen of the Dark Skies, a theatrical, storytelling pilgrimage for women, walking at night over the ancient landscape that surrounds the village of Chettle in North Dorset. This unique outdoor arts experience transports participants back in time to late Iron Age Dorset and offers a unique opportunity to experience the wonder of the Cranborne Chase’s famous dark skies.
During the four mile pilgrimage, participants walk in silence, without the use of torches, to allow a fully immersive experience of this historic landscape at night. The evening finishes in a secluded woodland glade, with a women's circle around a fire.
This pilgrimage is led by Becky Burchell and has been co-created with local experts and members of the Chettle community. The project development was funded by Cranborne Chase and Chalke Valley Landscape Partnership and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Writer, storyteller, producer: Becky Burchell
Chettle Wassail
2022-23
CHANGE Festival collaborated with Dorset artist Lorna Rees and Gobbledegook Theatre to support the rural community of Chettle to recreate and reimagine an ancient Wassail ritual for the 21st century in their village orchard. Wassailing is an old tradition in the South-West of England of gathering together in midwinter asking the apple trees to bear a good harvest.
Creating this new-ancient ritual involved writing six new songs, with mentorship from artists Sam Lee, Zoe Laureen Palmer and Sandie Elkins. New costumes, props and scripts were also created in a series of community workshops. Finally, a film was created, named ‘AWAKE’ (see below) which was screened by the community in a premiere the following year on the annual community ‘Apple Day’.
Producer: Becky Burchell
Artistic Director: Lorna Rees
This project was funded by Dorset Community Foundation
AWAKE!
2023
AWAKE is a short experiemental documentary, created by CHANGE Festival, about a liminal moment in the calendar - midwinter - observed by the inhabitants of a small rural village in England. A time outside time, magic is everywhere and anything is possible. Bearing witness to this turning point, the inhabitants gather for a wassail - a centuries old thanksgiving ritual of in which folk gather to honour the slow return of the sun and bless the apple trees whose fruit are essential to the village ecosystem, not least the crumbles, juice and cider that sustains them throughout the year.
Beyond tradition going through the motions, the film captures the villagers’ heartfelt, creative communion with ancient ways remembered and reimagined for the modern age. We hear human and bird song, babbling brook and cracking fire entwined. The film is full of contrasts, mirroring the season. In the gloaming, mists slowly lift off the hills - the sunrise bringing an end to the darkness of night. We see the playful, creative spirit of the villagers, their joy expressed through colourful costumes, painted faces, music and chanting.
We watch the preparation, the riotous procession and the offerings given to the apple trees, then it is all over, rosy dawn arrives. But the wilder ones are awake, the birds, the musician and the children; acknowledging their place in the family of things.
Director: Sophie Austin
Producer: Becky Burchell
Watch the trailer here.
CHANGE Festival
2019-21
CHANGE Festival created a groundbreaking event for audiences to 'imagine a better future' through a programme of music, theatre, comedy, workshops and craft. Over 2,000 people attended the festival over two weekends in 2019 and 2021 at Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, one of the biggest arts venues in the UK.
The performances and speakers at CHANGE Festival were chosen for their ability to inspire hope and action in the face of the ecological emergency. Highlights included:
Music from Cosmo Sheldrake, Sam Lee and Orchestra for the Earth.
Performances from the Cocoa Butter Club and Boss Morris
New theatre shows 'Nevergreen' and 'The World We Made'
Talks from Satish Kumar, Jonathon Porritt and Jude Currivan
Workshops with Gobbledegook Theatre and the Activist Clown
Funded by Warwick Arts Centre, Arts Council England, Coventry City of Culture Trust, Heart of England Community Foundation, Reboot the Future.
Founder, Director and Curator: Becky Burchell
Rise Up Discussions
2021
'Rise Up' were our series of discussions at the CHANGE Festival weekend in November 2021 at Warwick Arts Centre, hosted by Amisha Ghadiali and featuring artists, futurists, activists, educators, community leaders and many more. The talks included:
Rise Up To Reimagine
Rise Up To Reconnect
Rise Up To Reclaim
Rise Up To Reawaken
Producer: Becky Burchell
Curators: Reboot the Future and Becky Burchell
Rise Up
2020-21
RISE UP is a series of five short stories, created by CHANGE Festival in collaboration with Jonathon Porritt. Set over 5 years, each story follows a different character as they journey out of the chaos of 2020 and discover their voice, passions and activism. These films are a hope-filled call to action for anyone who believes we are not inexorably doomed and can imagine a better future.
Created with support from charity Reboot the Future, these films are shared in schools to inspire discussion around agency and activism and the role of young people in creating change.
Director: Sophie Austin
Writer: Beth Flintoff
Executive Producer: Becky Burchell
Created in partnership with Jonathon Porritt and Reboot the Future charity.
Watch the trailer here.
Oh The Things We’re For!
2021
Bringing together Beethoven’s classical power with stirring, bold stories about being a child with important things to say, ‘Oh, The Things We’re For!’ was created by CHANGE Festival to be performed in 2021 at Warwick Arts Centre.
When we were planning the festival in early 2021, we came across an artist and an organisation who we really wanted to involve. The first is American author, illustrator and activist Innosanto Nagara, who’s inspirational children’s books include the must-have ‘A Is For Activist’. Known for his captivating, colourful illustrations and compelling rhymes, this is THE author to tell our kids the story of what it means to be growing up NOW.
Secondly, we discovered the work of the wonderful Orchestra for the Earth, whose performances around the world are spreading the word about the climate crisis, inspiring people about the natural world, and motivating them to protect it.
So this unique production combined the words and illustrations of Innosanto’s popular storybook of the same name, with a rousing performance of Beethoven’s Septet, performed by Orchestra for the Earth.
Audiences young and old loved this unusual yet perfectly matched pairing, leaving everyone feeling ready to rise up with a sense of hope, possibility and solidarity.
Director: Sophie Austin
Producer: Becky Burchell
Animations: Sophi Gardner
The World We Made
2019
CHANGE Festival created a new play, The World We Made, which premiered on Friday 18 October 2019 at the first CHANGE Festival at Warwick Arts Centre.
This urgent work was inspired by a book by Jonathon Porritt, the UK’s most eminent environmentalist.
The World We Made is told by Keli and Luke, two students living in 2050. It shows a glimpse of how our lives could be in the future, if we pull together and change now ... before it’s too late. We take a look at 2050 through these students’ eyes and imagine the dramatic events that have got us there.
This is a story of ordinary and extraordinary people from around the world who together achieve profound change: a Danish scientist, a global pop star, a Canadian truck driver, an African human rights activist, and a community gardener from Yorkshire.
The journey follows personal and collective challenges, the struggles and losses as well as the enormous achievements, painting a compelling picture of the defining moments, breakthroughs and lifestyle revolutions that have made the world ‘work’ in 2050. Based on extensive factual research from Jonathon Porritt’s seminal book of the same name, The World We Made offers a vibrant and dynamic vision of a world that is still available to us – if we act fast on the radical changes that are needed so urgently today.
Director: Sophie Austin
Writer: Beth Flintoff
Executive Producer: Becky Burchell
More info can be found here.
Robot Rebellion
2019-21
This interactive art installation was commissioned by CHANGE Festival with artist Liam O’Brien.
Assembled from over 100 Transformers toys, marching around a table in the shape on the Extinction Rebellion logo, it invited audience members to get crafty and create their own tiny protest placards for a robot to hold.
More photos here.
The image "Gabrielle" is a derivative of a photo by Toyin Dawudu.