“Come in and chat” – that simple sign on our studio door in Aberfeldy Street has sparked something extraordinary. Over six transformative months, curiosity turned into creativity, conversations became performances, and neighbours became storytellers.

200 People. 5 Films. 20 Podcasts. One Anthem and a Computer Game

Between March and September 2025, Aberfeldy Stories showed what happens when you give people the space, skills, and support to share their narratives. The results? Over 200 residents stepped through our doors and left with:

• 5 short films that capture the heart of our neighbourhood
• 20 podcasts brimming with local voices and perspectives
• Stand-up comedy routines that turned personal experiences into laughter
• Written and performed stories shared with courage and creativity
• A computer game designed by local imaginations
• The Aberfeldy Anthem — written and performed by residents

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Why letting conversations flow naturally reveals the heart of a community

A Perfect Day for an Impromptu Wedding

Everything was ready: the bride and groom, the dress, the sunshine, and plenty of willing guests. What we didn’t expect was that our afternoon discussion about the future of the Barbican and Golden Lane estates would turn into wedding poetry and creative neighbourhood activation. But that’s exactly why we love The People Speak approach – you never know where genuine conversation will take you.

We were invited by the Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood Forum to their annual Summer Party to chat with residents about the future of their estates. Armed with our Talkaoke setup, we spent the afternoon discovering what makes these iconic London neighbourhoods truly special.

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At The People Speak we have many strings to our bow. In May 2025 we had the opportunity to create brand new participatory structures at the Pleasance Theatre for The Critical Conversations series commissioned by Sage and Jester production company. The aim was to involve the audience in discussing misinformation, truth and build dialogue around different perspectives. We followed our principles of creating participatory performance:

• Non-hierarchy: facilitators and participants are all equals
• Structure without content: the content is developed spontaneously by the participants using an accessible structure
• Co-creation: it is about creating performance collectively

Mikey as Brother Read-the-Room in ‘Heal the Net’ at The Pleasance Theatre, Photo by John Williams

‘Quacktion time’: using satire as a way to shed light on the truth (13 May) 

We recreated the format of the talk show Question Time, with a twist! We called it Quacktion time and had participants in the audience wearing animal masks. They could channel their inner political animal and discussed serious quacktions concerning the general welfare of the burrows of London, represented by six animal panelists. Through a series of provo-cat-ions, the animals got caught in the game and discussed topics such as: which animal would be the best ruler? The duck argued that due to their ability to be on the ground, the water and in the sky, they could offer different perspectives of the world. The elephant (in the room…) claimed that it was their God-given duty to be the ruler, implying their superiority in the kingdom. The lamb explained that they occupied the moral high ground due to their sacrificial position. We invited the animals to be daring and to disrupt the expected direction of the conversation rather than focus on the dynamic of exchanging facts and demonstrating knowledge on the subject that happens on television discussion programmes. Pushing them to have provocative ideas and answers is part of The People Speak’s mentality as it’s about challenging different world views.

‘Quacktion Time’ at the Pleasance Theatre, Photo by John Williams

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