Hear Leeds people's 'Talking Heads' style life stories, on live radio

Members of Leeds theatre group The Performance Ensemble

The Performance Ensemble is a theatre company made up of people who are all aged over 60, and are living in Leeds.

For six months they have collected the stories of the city’s older generation, with a view to bringing them together in a final production for the Leeds 2023 Cultural Festival.

Artistic director Alan Lyddiard said: “We hope to gather 1001 stories by 2023.

“The voice of the older generation is an important one; we are often left out of the narrative or are included only when we come under the category of ‘vulnerable’ and there’s a lot more to us than that!”

The idea to work together on the project came about when Alan was interviewed by Drivetime presenter Stephanie Hirst.

Stephanie was intrigued by the ‘Talking Heads’ style from real-life Leeds.

“This is such a wonderful idea,” said Stephanie. “We have much to learn from the older generation.”

Pieces are written and read by five members of the Ensemble.

Each lasts no longer than two minutes, and they tell their own personal stories that are sad, funny, and intriguing.

“We are delighted to work with BBC Radio Leeds on this project,” added Alan.

“Both companies aim to represent the city and its people, so the partnership works beautifully.”

You can listen to the engaging stories on BBC Radio Leeds from Monday, August 10, to Friday, August 14, at on the Stephanie Hirst programme from 2pm.

Visit www.bbc.co.uk/radioleeds or tune in to 92.4FM

The theatre company is looking to recruit new members and collect more stories that will help them create unique performance events in the coming years.

No experience in theatre or the arts is needed, but members should live in Leeds and be over 60 years old.

Some of the company members work as actors, writers, and dancers but others joined the company with no such experience; all are from a variety of backgrounds and diverse cultures.

For more information and to get involved, email [email protected] or call 07846 575 377

To read more stories visit www.theperformanceensemble.com