In Dec 2022 in Grenoble, France, Legislative Theatre for the Greater Manchester Homelessness Prevention Strategy won the 2022 Award for Best Practice in Citizen Participation from the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD)! This is the first time the UK has been awarded this honor, in recognition of the tangible impacts as well as the creative and innovative social inclusion brought about by this process. Read more about the IOPD award here, and learn about the GM Homelessness Prevention Strategy project here.

A series of two-day Legislative Theatre trainings, commissioned by Lankelly Chase Foundation, will be offered for activists, artists, educators and participatory democracy practitioners around the UK in 2022-23. Participants will create an original play, incorporating political analysis and participatory research; practice facilitation that flips power dynamics between policymakers and communities; and experiment with new games for moving policies towards implementation. Find more info on trainings in London, Manchester, Coventry and Edinburgh; fees are subsidised for greater accessibility.

Available now: a new book for facilitators looking for new ways to bring fun, creativity, and critical thinking into their work! Why Wildcard? Because to be a “Joker” in the Theatre of the Oppressed is to play many different roles and navigate uncertainty with joy. Written by experienced Jokers from Theatre of the Oppressed NYC, this workbook is a graphic, interactive, and accessible guide to inspire and support facilitation in many contexts.

Download here, free or by donation. 

A yearlong Legislative Theatre initiative dedicated to co-creating the inaugural 5 year GM Homelessness Prevention Strategy with municipal authorities, community groups and service providers. This effort prioritized grassroots leadership, through facilitation training with residents with experience of homelessness, who worked alongside 35 community participants to develop 4 plays that were presented in a digital / in-person hybrid during the Covid pandemic.

Read the policy proposals and meet the facilitators here.

A winner of the NESTA Democracy Pioneers award, this collaboration with Glasgow City Council and Shared Future CIC tackled the climate crisis through a legislative theatre process led by young people from Glasgow Disability Alliance and Young Movers. The project targeted the Council's climate, transport and city development strategies, as well as the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Nov 2021. Read more from Gulbenkian Foundation's evaluation on public engagement at COP26.

Working with Nationwide Foundation, tenants in the private rental sector developed a play about challenges with landlords, lack of repairs, and other issues. The performance led the Nationwide Foundation to commit funds to pilot programs proposed by the audience. Watch the full event.

In the Creative Community Leaders program, 8 Islington residents, who were directly impacted by housing and economic insecurity during the pandemic, received paid training to become Legislative Theatre facilitators, and led a policy-making session with local Islington Councillors on housing access and cultural equity.