Future Flares Festival: Sick! Workshop - Theatre and Social Engagement

Wednesday 22nd January 2025: 2:15-5pm

Grosvenor East Building (Studio 1.09)

Join Tracy Gentles, Artistic Director & CEO of SICK! Productions (aka SICK! Festival), for an interactive talk and workshop exploring the intersection of theatre and social engagement. Drawing on SICK!’s groundbreaking work addressing mental health, inequality, and social challenges through creative arts, Tracy will share insights into using theatre to foster dialogue and empower communities. This engaging session includes practical exercises, case studies, and discussion, inviting participants to explore how performance can drive meaningful societal change. Ideal for artists, practitioners, and anyone passionate about the transformative power of the arts, this workshop offers tools and inspiration to connect creativity with real-world impact.

Tracy Gentles has been Artistic Director & CEO of SICK! Productions since January 2024. With over 20 years in the creative industries, Tracy’s work explores the intersection of performing arts, academia, health, social justice, and technology. Previously working as founding Creative Director & CEO of creative structure support organisation Something To Aim For and Wellcome Trust initiated arts and health platform The Sick of the Fringe.

As a working-class woman of colour from East Manchester, diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to her practice. Tracy has championed critical voices from the fringes of the arts and society, driving mainstream conversations and deepening engagement. She is Chair of HighRise Entertainment and Heart of Glass, an Artist Fellow at Queen Mary University of London, and part of Manchester City Council’s Cultural Consortium. Organisations Tracy has supported include: Wellcome Collection, The Place, Dance Umbrella, Clod Ensemble, The Royal Court, Sadler’s Wells, University of Salford, Shoreditch Town Hall and the Edinburgh Fringe Society.