April 17th

What does it really mean to be a neighbour?

Is it simply living close to someone and sharing the small, everyday moments of life, for example lending a cup of sugar, watching each other’s children grow up, or celebrating birthdays together?

Have you ever had neighbours who felt more like extended family?

Was there a time when you offered help to a neighbour, or when a neighbour supported you when you needed it most?

And what about a broader idea of neighbourhood? One that goes beyond streets and buildings, and includes a sense of connection and care for people across cities, countries, or even continents. Have you ever supported someone from another place in the world, or felt supported by them?

We would love to hear your stories of  being a neighbour.

This February, the theme of our Playback performance is something the world desperately needs at the moment: LOVE. We have watched the violence and intimidation happening around the world, but in the midst of suffering, we have also seen love. We see it in the last words "are you okay?", we see it in the UK hunger strikers risking their own lives for others, we see it in neighbours helping neighbours, we see it in people daring to fall in love in a dangerous time. 

In her book, "All About Love”, bell hooks reminds us that “love will prevail.” At this performance, we want to create a space for us to explore love over fear. We invite you to share your stories of love; be it family, friendship, romance, nature, or even a love that extends to people you don’t even know. What is your story?

Was there a moment when you chose love over fear?

Was there a time when you felt deeply loved?

Was there a time you loved your neighbour?

Was there a moment when love was missing?

We would love to hear your stories about love. Together, let’s explore the power of love.

Join us for a powerful afternoon of storytelling and connection as we celebrate International Women’s Day through the unique art of Playback Theatre, where your stories are brought to life.

This performance honours the voices, experiences, and journeys of women. Audience members are invited to share real-life moments, big or small, that reflect what it means to be a woman in the world today. Then, our ensemble of actors and musicians will bring those stories to life using movement, theatre, and music.

This year, we’re proud to be joined by guest performers from the Cork Migrant Centre, adding  new voices and perspectives to the stage. Together, we’ll celebrate the beauty, complexity, and strength found in women’s stories across cultures, generations, and identities.

You don’t need to share a story to take part, just come to listen, witness, and connect.

The performance will be followed by musical performances and a "Human Library" hosted by the Cork Migrant Centre 

Our December performance is always a special one that creates space in this busy season for all the stories that don't normally have a chance to be told. What are your stories about this time of year? 

• Is there a tradition (old or new) that means something to you? 

• A December memory that shaped who you are today? 

• A moment of stillness in a busy season? 

• A holiday that went hilariously wrong… or wonderfully right? 

• A moment of courage during a difficult winter? 

• A person who brought you light this year

Speak Out! Theatre for transformation will be performing at the Critical Voices conference. The conference is free, but you will need to register with the conference directly: https://cvni.ie/2025-2/

Here is more information about the conference:
Over the last 16 years this conference has covered many concerns around mental health systems, practices and provisions. One of these concerns centre around the lack of availability of safe spaces and places for people experiencing intense distress, a theme specifically addressed at the 2021 (online) conference. We have heard and learned from different ways/approaches, outside of the traditional hospital and community-based systems, of supporting people in distress, such as crisis houses and therapeutic farms. Sadly, locating safe spaces and places for people experiencing severe distress and crisis remains difficult. Following on from last year’s conference on iatrogenic harm we are acutely aware that we need to turn ‘first do good’ into practice. Therefore, this year’s conference aims to explore and discuss:

• What constitutes a safe place/space in mental health practices?

• Why is it so difficult to develop and sustain safe places/spaces?

• Are there examples of good practices from various jurisdictions providing safe places and spaces?

We hope that this conference will bring together people with experience and interest in developing safe spaces projects in Ireland.

About our performance:

We will be closing the conference, using Playback Theatre to weave together the different experiences and perspectives of those attending to explore our collective learning. This is a unique and powerful way to close a conference, bringing people together and highlighting key take-aways.

In March 2023 Chriszine Backhouse from Creativity and Change and  Kelvin Akpaloo worked with the Irish Refugee Council to support their youth members to explore the intersection of education and racism through the medium of spoken word, playback theatre and dance. 

This project involved in-person and online workshops through the month. It culminated in a moving and powerful performance on March 25th in the Outhouse Theatre space.

Our March 2025 performance was a collaboration with the Cork Community Action Tenants Union on the theme of 'Home'. 

We explored the effects of the housing crisis, asking the question "what does Home mean to you? and what does it mean when Home is under threat?".

The performance included a talk from CATU about the housing crisis and the steps we can take to make a change. 

All proceeds from this performance went to the Community Action Tenants Association (CATU).