Subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube (with subtitles) – Applied Theatre Podcast

Chris Sonnex, Artistic Director of Cardboard Citizens, joins me to discuss how theatre can challenge inequality and create genuine pathways for people with lived experience of homelessness and poverty. From hostel tours to award winning films and now a new anthology, More Than One Story, Chris shares how the company continues to evolve, redefining what theatre can be and who gets to make it.

We explore Cardboard Citizens’ “garden model” of membership, where workshops, co-production forums and creative mentoring plant the seeds for long term growth. Chris talks about working with writers such as Malorie Blackman, Inua Ellams and Michelle de Swarte, and about giving new voices a national platform through open submissions and accessible opportunities.

https://cardboardcitizens.org.uk/whats-on/event/cardboard-citizens-presents-more-than-one-story/

The conversation also delves into trauma informed practice, exploring how artists and facilitators are trained to create safer spaces, manage boundaries and avoid becoming a “one stop shop” for participants’ wider crises. Chris reflects candidly on the challenges of leadership, the shifting responsibilities of an Artistic Director, and the importance of removing ego to future proof an organisation and its artists.

Thank you Chris for an inspiring discussion about creativity, care and community, and for reminding us that art is not just what happens on stage, but how we choose to work together.

Chris’s Links:
Website - https://cardboardcitizens.org.uk

Instagram - @cardboardcitz

Applied Theatre Podcast:

X - @Apptheatrepod

Instagram - @AppliedTheatrePod

Email - [email protected]

Subscribe on Spotify, Apple & Google Podcasts and Youtube (w/subtitles) - Applied Theatre Podcast

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