Sunderland, in its own words
Letters from across Wearside will be brought to life in a new performance offering a 'portrait of the city'
A new community storytelling project is inviting people across Sunderland to put their feelings about the city into words, in the wake of last summer’s public disorder.
Dear Sunderland: Letters to a City, created by Unfolding Theatre, asks a simple but searching question: what would you say to Sunderland if you could write it a letter?
The project was commissioned by The Cultural Spring in response to the August 2, 2024 riot, with a focus on exploring how the city sees itself more than a year on. Since then, residents from across Wearside have been contributing letters sharing their hopes, frustrations, memories and reflections.
Working with a wide network of community groups – including CFO Sunderland, Sunderland MIND, Sunderland Students’ Union, A Band Like This and organisations in Sulgrave and Houghton-le-Spring – the theatre company has gathered a broad range of voices. Individuals have also submitted letters online, creating what organisers describe as a layered portrait of the city.
Those contributions are now being transformed into a live performance, combining spoken word with original music. Writer Ray Hopkins has been collaborating with Unfolding Theatre’s regular music collaborators, A Band Like This, to shape the material into a staged production.
The result will premiere at Pop Recs on High Street West on Thursday, March 26, performed by a cast of professional actors and musicians. Tickets are priced between £3 and £5, with organisers keen to keep the event accessible.
Annie Rigby, artistic director at Unfolding Theatre, said: “The performance of Dear Sunderland will bring together spoken word and music to tell stories from across the city.
“From children to elders, from lifelong residents to new arrivals, Dear Sunderland will bring people together to celebrate the remarkable stories and people that make up this wonderful city.
“Expect surprising connections, differences of opinion, everything from pure joy to deep frustration (and that’s just the football) and lots of laughter.”
The structure of the show will reflect the project’s central idea of communication and exchange. Letters are delivered and read aloud by postal workers, creating a narrative thread that connects different perspectives across the city.
Annie explained: “Postal workers are delivering our letters across the city and read the letters out as they’re make their deliveries. The letters are so different – positive, negative and everything in between. They’re also from a massive variety of people, young and old, people who’ve lived here all their lives and people who just arrived, for whatever reason.
“The postal workers are waiting for a response that the city can’t give, so they suggest the letter writers respond to each other.”
Following its premiere, the project is expected to reach wider audiences through a series of pop-up performances planned for the Easter holidays, with further details to be announced. A digital recording will also be made available online and through listening stations in community venues across Sunderland.
Dear Sunderland forms part of a larger initiative, Sunderland: Our Home, led by The Cultural Spring and supported by a Community Cohesion Steering Group. The programme also includes a second major project by Southpaw Dance Company, which will explore the events of August 2 through a mixed-reality experience combining virtual reality and live performance.
Funding for Sunderland: Our Home has been provided by Sunderland City Council, the UK government’s Community Renewal Fund and Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme.
Tickets for Dear Sunderland at Pop Recs, on March 26 are available via eventbrite.