21-27 OCTOBER 2023
EDITION FOUR

Our Future Starts Here returns, from 21 – 27 October with a future-facing, thought-provoking, quality and fun programme for all ages.

National touring outdoor performances are coupled with creative participation opportunities, ‘green learning’ and children’s activities.

Our Future Starts here is supported by locally-based and globally trail-blazing eco-smart technology company myenergi.

Successfully launched in 2022 and attracting more than 40,000 audiences across three programmes of events, Our Future Starts Here aims to explore issues of our time, enable new cultural experiences for North East Lincolnshire residents and highlight Grimsby’s place in the world now.

For this new edition for Autumn, we’re pleased to be partnering with Projekt Renewables to present future-facing, thought-provoking, quality and fun performances for all ages around Alexandra Dock. National touring work from leading outdoor arts companies is coupled with creative participation opportunities, ‘green learning’ and children’s activities on sustainability themes.

Culture House Director, Charlotte Bowen, said:

“Our Future Starts Here aims to raise awareness of the need for more sustainable and inclusive futures for all of us and what we might collectively start to consider and do to achieve this.

“We know we need to start looking after the planet and each-other more and we have produced what we hope is an inspiring programme touching on these themes.

“Added to this, as a cultural organisation, we also want to get across that creativity plays a vital role in problem-solving issues, in regenerating the places we live and in designing the kind of future we might want.

“In addition we feel that if residents understood more about Grimsby’s ‘green industries’ and that they are at the forefront of global developments when it comes to sustainable solutions for the planet, we’ll all find more reasons to feel proud of our places and inspired by what is to come.

“We’re excited to be delivering this project in association with Projekt Renewable whose intention is to also convey this message about Grimsby and the opportunities that that brings”.

SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER 11am - 4pm
Alexandra Dock, Grimsby DN31 1SY

The Whale

By Circo Rum Ba Ba
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Don’t miss this wonderful whale installation while it’s ‘washed up’ in Grimsby!

At 18 metres long this presents a delightful spectacle, while also offering beautiful, interactive story-telling sessions on environmental themes.

But where has the whale come from and why?

Join Marine biologist ‘Netty NorthWest’ and an acrobatic diver, who will take children and families inside ‘the belly of the whale’ and lead them on a journey through the life of an ancient Leatherback Turtle and the threats and dangers they face to survive. This is a chance to hear about sea-creatures and their battle to survive in an ocean full of plastic, while also helping the explorers save the turtle and whale.

There will be 6 free sessions available throughout the day (between 11am and 4pm) for up to 40 people.

Lifted

By Mimbre
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Lifted is a collection of funny, poetic and surprising moments, which explore in different ways what it means when one body is carried by another. Or when one person carries two people. Or when a person doesn’t want to be carried. Or when three people find the perfect balance.

Created in collaboration with three guest choreographers, Yi-Chun Liu, HURyCAN and Gary Clarke, this captivating performance by acrobatic theatre company Mimbre experiments with new approaches and mixes dance, theatre and circus to celebrate the expressions and impressions that appear when three strong women move, lift and balance each other.

Easy Read and Audio Introduction

Find the Lifted Easy Read PDF document and Audio Introduction here.

Cast
Performed and devised by Silvia Fratelli, Martha Harrison and Helga Ehrenbusch. As well as previous cast: Freya Stokka, Jaide Annalise and Rosy Roberts.

Find out more about the current cast here.

Lifted is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Stockton International Riverside Festival.

Out of the Box

By Darryl Carrington
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Out of the Box is a show of Impossible situations when a constant battle with physics is resolved in a finale that will have the audience feeling like they have just witnessed the underdog substitute scoring the winning goal.

A unique blend of world-class juggling, high skill manipulation and original, Tik Tok trick shots are delivered through gentle clowning when the audience become the stars of the show and celebrate both failures and successes.

Drawing from personal experiences of neuro-diversity, Darryl Carrington gently guides audiences through a celebration of our differences, similarities and how – through playfulness – we can find a common space between the two and break down the boundaries that divide us.

The Place presents

the album: Skool Edition

By SAY
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Celebrate the joy and innocence of making up dances to exciting new music in this interactive, outdoor dance show.
SAY is a duo and their energy is infectious and will inspire you to get creative with movement too!

Combining fast-paced and slick contemporary dance routines to exciting new music including tracks with MC Zaniland and alternative pop artist Naomi Banks, the album: skool edition is an interactive dance created specifically for kids and their families.

As a company SAY was born from Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui’s ambition to re-discover the creativity that can get lost through formal training and to challenge the elitism sometimes associated with contemporary dance.

Audio description is available for all performances by listening along to an audio track.

Created by Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui. Performed by Kassichana Okene-Jameson, Lisa Chearles and Rose Ellen-Lewis. Music from Naomi Banks, MC Zani and Ezra Collective.

Co-produced by The Place. Commissioned by The Place, Brighton Festival, WildRumpus & Just So Festival. the album: skool edition is supported by Without Walls.

Children’s canoe experience and litterpick

With The Canoe River Cleaner
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Children are invited to get connected to the water, with a free one to one canoe experience, offered by ‘The Canoe River Cleaner’.

Row around the Ross Tiger, encompass the ‘Esther’ and skirt the sunken house-boat, getting a chance to look back at history, while looking forwards to our future.

Then join Jim on a litter-pick at the end of the day if you’re still around!

Tours last 15 mins and no booking is required, but you may wish to form an orderly queue!

Crafting our future

children’s drop in creative workshops
SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER
Projekt Renewable, Alexandra Dock

Enter these vibrant shipping containers that have landed in ‘Heritage Square’ car park to highlight Grimsby’s renewable industries and create your own sustainable crafts.

Projekt Patch is about how we see our hopes for the future on our patch! Eleos is offering a space to discuss our greener future while making a patch/badge of honour.

This is a drop in session from 11am – 4pm with limited spaces at any one time, and we anticipate children might spend approx 30 – 45 mins on the activity.

This Place of Mine

SATURDAY 21 OCTOBER 10am - 4pm
Inside Projekt Renewable, Alexandra Dock

In 2022, Our Future Starts Here partnered with Manchester-based organisation Future Everything to deliver creative workshops with students at Grimsby Institute, looking at potential new creative ideas for Grimsby Town Centre and how it is used.

Come along and see the ideas and designs that were produced and feel free to doodle your own by working with support from talented local artist Penny Wood.

FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER 11am - 4pm
Alexandra Dock, Grimsby DN31 1SY

TOAST

By Pif-Paf
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Pif-Paf as a company formed out of sustainability campaigning, with a clear aim to bring wonder and change to people’s lives where they live, work and play. Pif Paf believes that an empowered community is the key to any positive and sustainable change. Their works are playful and dramatic explorations of the big themes around sustainability.

TOAST takes audiences on a journey through the seasons, through story-telling, music, food and dances. In each of the four seasons the performances explore a different aspect of the things we do together. The show looks at our closeness to the land and seasons through celebration, inspiration and preparation, rather than a telling of the struggles to come.

As a show, Toast is made largely from reused materials and is battery powered and the food is responsibly sourced.

THE PRECIOUS THING

By INVERTED THEATRE
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

A fun and moving outdoor show featuring an array of juggling, hand-balancing contortion, clowning and puppetry, the show is a metaphor for how the human race is not good at looking after our world and now we are starting to pay the consequences.

The two relatable and playful characters have two things to do: fish for food and look after and nurture their one treasured possession. Trying to keep it alive using water.

We see them struggle with problems creating more trouble for themselves. They do not take the logical route, but the one that seems more fun. They spill and waste water till there is none left and their world starts turning purple.
There might be a simple answer if they thought it through, but the solution they find creates another problem. And while this is funny to watch it has negative outcomes for their world.

The duo even pull the audience into their antics to contribute purple objects that change their world into a purple mess of discarded objects.

UNBOXED

By LINDEN DANCE
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
Alexandra Dock

Linden Dance promotes positivity, individuality and empowerment, championing diverse perspectives, backgrounds and creative voices. In their explosive outdoor duet UNBOXED, a mixed-race man and a white woman set themselves in opposition to two giant wooden cubes in a representation of their battle with prejudice and judgement. The toxicity of the subject matter can be felt in the pulsing soundtrack and the performers’ athletic physicality.

Crafting our future

children’s drop in creative workshops
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
Projekt Renewable, Alexandra Dock

Come and get creative on future themes with our artists in residence for the day.

Future Chalk

With Urban Canvas
FRIDAY 27 OCTOBER
Projekt Renewable, Alexandra Dock

This fabulous chalk-art team joined us previously for Our Future Starts Here, creating a colourful and inspiring 81-metre long wind-turbine right the way across Riverhead Square with the public’s help.

We’re excited to welcome them again this time to the Alexandra Dock area where everyone is invited to get creative, have fun and design artwork on environment and nature themes.

Our Future Starts Here is produced by The Culture House, an arts and cultural organisation based in Grimsby working to widening access to culture, enliven spaces and provide more opportunities for connection while exploring issues that matter to us all. The Culture House is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England.