A promotional film produced by Pishdaad Modaressi Chahardehi for Common/Wealth Theatre Company, a site-specific political and contemporary theatre company based in Bradford that produces works that address current issues in collaboration with communities affected by them. The exterior of the Common Space hub in Bradford changes to inside and a montage of young people involved in political theatrical productions being both rehearsed and performed to young audiences with voices of some of...

A promotional film produced by Pishdaad Modaressi Chahardehi for Common/Wealth Theatre Company, a site-specific political and contemporary theatre company based in Bradford that produces works that address current issues in collaboration with communities affected by them. The exterior of the Common Space hub in Bradford changes to inside and a montage of young people involved in political theatrical productions being both rehearsed and performed to young audiences with voices of some of those taking part talking about how storytelling can change the world. Outside Evie Manning Co-Artistic Director of Common/Wealth Theatre Company and Creative Producer Ezra Nash provide details on this site-specific political theatre company based in both Bradford and Cardiff and how it is a place where someone can be truly who they want to be and be themselves. Back inside Sascha Gilmour Production Designer working on the theatrical piece Public Interest talks about the lack of public awareness and the need for he heard. Over another montage of both Common Space and productions that have or are being put on by Common/Wealth, Evie Manning explains that the company was set up to work with, by and for working-class people about political issues. Over aerials around the centre of Bradford, a woman’s voice explains why she came back to the city and how it an excellent place to make theatre because of its radical outside theatre. The sequence ends with a group of young people performing a piece of political theatre at an outdoor venue. Over clips from said productions and related content, details are provided on some of the early productions put on by Common/Wealth relating to the 2008 financial crisis, domestic abuse and the Save Our Steel protests which include a large banner being unfurled and your people marching through Bradford carrying large colourful flags. Over a montage of them details are provided with regards the 29% Festival by Aaminah Butt a Speakers Corner member, Peaceophobia about Islamophobia by actor Ali Yunis, Fast Fast Slow with Sascha Gilmour explaining it is a production about fashion and fashion waste and Public Interest which is described as part political theatre part music video piece about the inequalities in the criminal justice system. As Evie Manning leads a discussion with a group of young people, she and Ezra Nash provide details on how they approach political works, about working with communities to tell the stories they want to tell in a creative, safe and fun environment. Dermot Daly Associate Director for Public Interest explains that Common/Wealth don’t work with scripts in the traditional sense, rather through a devised and collaborative format telling stores in the way they should be told by the people whose stories they are. Standing with Evie Manning separately both Ali Yunis and Aaminah Butt talk about what they have gained form working with Common/Wealth while another young man, Rhys Simpson an actor from Off Road and Youth Theatre Lab, talks about how he has learned who he wants to be. Over a final montage of excited young people taking part in various Common/Wealth productions Evie Manning and Ezra Nash talk about the future of the company which will respond to where the need is and how to best make change depending on where the country is politically creating a ripple effect to create a movement. Title: Common/Wealth Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture Credit: A Film by Pishdaad Modaressi Chahardehi End title: With thanks to Jack King and Redbrck Films for additional footage