From the Crowd Evaluation Report FINAL

EVALUATION
REPORT
Feb 2020
2019
Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 1

Jonathan Keenan Photography
CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ABOUT FROM THE CROWD ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
HEADLINE FIGURES ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
AUDIENCES & PARTICIPANTS ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 4
ARTISTS’ LEARNING ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 7
PARTNERS’ LEARNING ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
EVALUATION REPORT
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 10
PROJECT ORIGINS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 10
AIMS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 11
EVALUATION APPROACH ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 12
ACHIEVING THE PROJECT AIMS ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 13
EVENT DAY ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15
PROJECT TARGETS ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 18
PROJECT AIMS ................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 22
CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38
APPENDIX 1: EVALUATION FRAMEWORK ............................................................................................................................................................................ 39
APPENDIX 2: AUDIENCE DATA ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 41
APPENDIX 3: PARTICIPANT DATA ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 46
APPENDIX 4: MANCHESTER RESIDENTS: WARD BREAKDOWN ........................................................................................................................................... 50
APPENDIX 5: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………………….51

FROM THE CROWD: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
ABOUT FROM THE CROWD
From the Crowd was an artistic and engagement project leading to an series of ‘chapters’ through which the show unfolded. 91 volunteer
interactive public theatre / performance event held as part of the performers took on the persona of ‘The Laurels’. Echoing the group
larger Peterloo 200th Anniversary Event Programme commemorating leaders of protestors marching into Manchester, The Laurels guided
the Peterloo Massacre where at least 18 people lost their lives and sections of the crowd in their participation, carrying staffs of laurel
many more were injured whilst peacefully protesting for political leaves, just as the march leaders had worn laurel leaves on the day.
reform in the centre of Manchester in 1819. From the Crowd took Flags, banners and fabric swathes punctuated the performance,
place on the same site, at the same time, 200 years later. It was creating ambience relevant to each chapter.
commissioned by Manchester City Council with additional funding
from Arts Council England; and produced by Manchester Histories, Music Director Robin Richards worked in partnership with Evie to
Brighter Sound and Walk the Plank. create a series of musical commissions and accompaniments which
would help direct the mood and tempo of the crowds and performers,
Artistically, Creative Director Evie Manning developed the innovative as well as echo the content of the historic and contemporary
concept of turning the crowd into the performers. The associated campaigns. He commissioned three additional composers, each of
staging and production (props, costumes, volunteer performers, whom worked on a different chapter and collaborated further within
music, sound, audio-visuals, lighting and pyrotechnics) created a their piece – including a spoken word collective, a choir, and a brass
framework within which the audience would be supported in reciting quartet. In addition, Robin worked with historians to create lyrics
and responding to the script. The script itself was entirely crowd crowd-sourced from history by piecing together quotes taken directly
sourced, as Evie worked with several local and national campaign and from historical records and accounts of the event.
protest groups or causes to facilitate their words and voices into a

The event began with an emotional tribute to the 18 people HEADLINE FIGURES
who died at Peterloo in 1819. Descendants, dignitaries, artists - 5500 people watching live online
and others each read out a name. This was followed by a two - 2400 live audiences members participating in the public performances
minute silence, and an 18 ‘gun’ salute, where 18 plumes of - 112 choir singers in From the Crowd and Rebel Karaoke
red smoke were ignited to commemorate the lives lost. - 91 volunteer performers
- 40 rehearsal sessions
Following this, From the Crowd was performed three times - 31 front of house and backstage volunteers
throughout the day to a ticketed audience (limited by the - 27 participating musicians
capacity of the space and the technical requirements of the - 18 artists, performers, dignitaries, public and family members reading the
production). names of the dead
- 16 guest artists performing in Rebel Karaoke productions
Between the three performances, the space was opened to
- 10 lead artists / creatives
the public and a series of short creative productions were
- 6 young spoken word artists
presented by a variety of artistic groups. In keeping with the
- 3 performances
theme of the commemorations, these formed a programme
- From the Crowd reached several million people globally through
entitled Rebel Karaoke.
newspapers, TV, Radio and social media.
AUDIENCES & PARTICIPANTS
AUDIENCES PARTICIPANTS
76% over 50 years of age 73% over 50 years of age
90% White British / White Irish 92% White British / White Irish
7% non-binary genders 4% non-binary genders
13% disabilities 11% disabilities
85% living in NW including 97% living in NW
33% from Manchester 55% from Manchester
34% other Greater Manchester boroughs 35% from other Greater Manchester boroughs
78% attending because of interest in Peterloo or Manchester Histories 59% participating because of interest in Peterloo or history / heritage
74% attended other Peterloo event or seen Mike Leigh’s film

AUDIENCE RESPONSES
“IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL AND MORE POLITICAL -

AS I WANTED IT TO BE - IN LINKING 1819 AND 2019, A CALL
TO ARMS, AND MORE STUNNINGLY STAGED , ACTED, SPOKEN,
SUNG, DRUMMED AND PLAYED THAN I HAD EXPECTED AND
WAS PERFECTLY JUDGED IN TIMING , INVOLVEMENT AND
CONTENT .” Audience member
CONTENT: Undeterred by the torrential rain (even by Manchester

standards) the overriding feedback from audiences was very positive.
It is true that opinions were mixed, however. As the piece marked
campaign for political reform by working class people historically;
shone a spotlight on contemporary campaigns and inequalities; and
IMPACT: Audiences were moved to tears, became more open minded
played out explicitly and exclusively through the words of those
to communities different to their own, became more aware of the
involved; it was, by necessity, unashamedly political in its content. For
impact those protesting at Peterloo had had on their own
around a third of those in the audience, this was not what they had
contemporary lives, were alerted to the parallels and continuums
wanted or expected of the event. They felt the production should have
between past and present social and political situations, or between
been less political and more, or wholly, historical. However, two thirds
situations in Manchester and the rest of the world, and were strongly
found the tone and content to be compelling, relevant and
motivated to become more politically, socially and environmentally
appropriate – and indeed a strong factor in the emotional, social,
active as a result. Many were also inspired to research social, local or
creative and intellectual success of the show. They felt the event to be
personal histories in more detail; and to share learning about Peterloo
of a high quality and commended those involved for the participation,
with friends, families, school pupils and members of the public
ambience, unity and theatre they had experienced, which had
through their own lives and activities.
exceeded the expectations of many.

PARTICIPANT RESPONSES
“WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS HOW MUCH CONTEXT: Unlike audiences, a far

FUN THE REHEARSAL PROCESS CAN BE . smaller proportion of participants
came to the project with previous
WHAT AN OPPORTUNITY PERFORMANCE
interest or experience in Peterloo
CAN PROVIDE FOR MEETING NEW PEOPLE .
and history / heritage. 45% joined
HOW REWARDING TAKING PART IN A BIG through their interest in Peterloo,
EVENT CAN BE . HOW MUCH EFFORT AND and 14% because of an interest in
ORGANISATION IS INVOLVED IN HOLDING history / heritage. 17% joined
SUCH A VARIED AND LARGE SCALE EVENT . because of an interest in theatre or
performance. The remaining 23%
WHAT CONSIDERATIONS NEED TO BE
took part for social or political
MADE WHEN DEALING WITH LARGE
reasons.
GROUPS OF THE PUBLIC WITH A WHOLE
RANGE OF BACKGROUNDS AND OPINIONS . IMPACT: 94% (minimum) learned new arts skills, especially performance; and participants scored their
HOW DETERMINED THE PUBLIC ARE TO arts skills as having increased by 40% on average.
ATTEND IMPORTANT EVENTS LIKE THIS 91% of participants learned more about Peterloo through taking part in the project; and scored their
heritage skills as having increased by 52% on average.
DESPITE THE TERRIBLE WEATHER ! HOW
As a result of the project, participants were especially keen to join in with other projects, become more
MOVING IT CAN BE TO SEE PEOPLE
socially or politically active, or volunteer in the future.
WORKING TOGETHER WITH THE SAME AIM.
HOW AUTHENTICALLY ISSUES WERE EXPERIENCE: The quality of their experience was one of the things they rated most highly, scoring how
REPRESENTED (PRODUCED AND SPOKEN BY proud of their achievements and how valued they’d felt both at 9 or more out of 10. 95% said what
MEMBERS OF VARIOUS DIFFERENT they’d hoped to get out of taking part had been fulfilled.
GROUPS ).” Project participant: Laurel

ARTISTS’ LEARNING
“I’M USED TO COLLABORATING , BUT IT WAS THE FIRST TIME ROBIN RICHARDS
WITH A THEATRE DIRECTOR . AND THE SCALE – HISTORIANS , For Music Director Robin Richards, working in collaboration with a theatre
COMMUNITY GROUPS , THE VOLUME OF PEOPLE WHO PLAYED director; writing lyrics; a responsibility to be historically accurate; and
collaborating on that scale and with such a diversity of contributors was all new to
THEIR PART WAS WHAT WAS MOST DIFFERENT FOR ME .”
his music practice.
Robin Richards
“ON THE TECH SIDE , GETTING AN INSIGHT INTO HOW THE EVIE MANNING
DIGITAL PARTS ALL CAME TOGETHER , THE MUSIC AND THE TECH Evie Manning, Creative Director, found the scale of the production; seeing the
AND THE SOUND CUES , AND THE CUES FOR THE SCRIPT IN concept of a crowd focussed performance realised; the process of the music
DIFFERENT PARTS ; FINDING OUT ABOUT THE BALANCE ON collaboration; the creation of a script; and ensuring the process was fully
accessible and authentic to the campaign groups all part of her learning journey.
SCREEN BETWEEN BEAUTY AND ACCESSIBILITY , AND THE TIMING
AND WHAT A CROWD NEEDS . I LEARNED A LOT AND DID NOT
EXPECT ALL THAT .”
Evie Manning
KATIE CHATBURN
“WORKING OUT HOW TO LINE THE MUSIC UP WITH ALI For composer Katie Chatburn, her main learning was about how to be more
[ACTRESS] AND HER SIGN LANGUAGE WAS A LEARNING inclusive of a range of disabilities in her musical creation and collaboration. She also
EXPERIENCE . SHE’S A PROFESSIONAL ACTRESS AND SKILLED IN discovered new skills and confidence to her conducting techniques, and how to
IMPROVISING , SO EACH TIME SHE PERFORMED THE SCRIPT work more democratically amidst large numbers of contributors / participants.
CAME OUT DIFFERENTLY , SO THE LENGTH OF TIME CHANGED
AND THE MUSIC TIMING HAD TO CHANGE . IT WAS GOOD FOR
ME TO HAVE TO LET GO OF A CERTAIN WAY OF WORKING .”
Katie Chatburn

PARTNERS’ LEARNING
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
As a partnership group, the co-producers have taken the following learning to their organisations and into future collaborations.
Partnership Theatre Making: Clear leadership, decision making, systems and written agreements are essential for successful relationships and
creative production. Without them, unresolved tensions and unintended consequences can arise.
Short Time Frames: Three months to create a production on this level tests capacity, relationships and staff wellbeing to its limits.
Crowd-Sourced & Political Scripting: Creating a politically relevant, community-engaged script needs a strong support structure, clear brief,
transparent decision making agreements, and time to manage complex discussions, backed up by clear, concrete policies / protocols.
MANCHESTER HISTORIES
Improving Accessible Policy & Practice: One of the most significant learning outcomes for the organisation has been ensuring disabled access and
interpretation is fully resourced and planned in throughout policy and practice. The impact of this has been to put the histories of disability at the
heart of the forthcoming Manchester Histories Festival.
Strategic Priorities & Artistic Commissioning: Manchester Histories has learned a lot about combining music and theatre commissions and
working at this level of artistic ambition. It has influenced their decision to include the commissioning of contemporary artists to help
commemorate significant historical moments as one of three delivery strands in their future business plan.
BRIGHTER SOUND
Creative Direction: Theatre Partnerships, Political Passion and Crowdsourced Content: Brighter Sound’s main learning was about the unique
creative opportunities and artistic ‘firsts. For instance working on a purely outdoor event, learning about what it takes to stage such a production;
working with audiences and participants for whom people’s rights and politics are so central and passionate in the process; seeing the evolution
of an innovative and political piece of theatre; and working with crowd-sourced content at this scale.

WALK THE PLANK
Technical & Artist-Led Innovations: Walk the Plank learned new ways to setup digital screens for
the event to ensure they were accessible but didn’t dominate; and to collaborate with the artists
creating the technical content and cues needed to guide the audience through the script, rather
than automate the process.
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

Internal Systems & Funding: As the commissioner of the project, learning from the application
stage led them to develop new systems to improve cross-departmental awareness of funding
applications so that clashes and delays will be avoided in the future.
Remit & Role of Commissioning: Through the experiences of the project, council officers have
new insights into the daily practices, opportunities and risks of artistic production, commissioning
and delivery having ‘walked a mile in the shoes of’ the cultural organisations they support. These
insights will help them with future relationships across Manchester’s cultural sector and will
inform future commissions and commissioning processes
END OF SUMMARY

FROM THE CROWD: EVALUATION REPORT
INTRODUCTION
PROJECT ORIGINS
On 16th August 1819 around 60,000 working class people from across the North West of
England marched miles to hold a peaceful protest demanding the reform of parliamentary
representation at St Peter’s Field in the heart of Manchester. The protests for reform had
been gathering momentum following the Battle of Waterloo’s impact on trade legislation,
resulting in reduced income and increasing food prices for the working classes. On 16th August
1819 magistrates watched the crowd gather, and eventually called for the cavalry to disperse
the protest.
As the cavalry, wielding their
weapons, repeatedly
attacked and charged the
crowd, at least 18 people
were killed and around 700
injured. With the combined
relevance of Waterloo and St
Peter’s Fields the event was
reported as the Peterloo
Massacre.
Peterloo Sudlow (MCL mO7592) Manchester Archives & Local Studies
Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com

10
AIMS
Recognising the historical significance of 200th anniversary of this event, Manchester City Council commissioned Manchester Histories in partnership
with Brighter Sound and Walk the Plank to work with local people and develop an outdoor artistic production honouring the day. The partnership
was further supported by funding from Arts Council England. Following years of work consulting about and researching the anniversary, Manchester
Histories led the co-ordination and promotion of From the Crowd, as part of the Peterloo 200th Anniversary Event, with core strands of:
• Performance: Writing workshops and other research in the field to create script
• Creative: Music/composition
• Engagement: Recruitment of 100 people engaged as performance leaders
• Theme: Protest, Democracy & Freedom of Speech with campaign groups across the city
From the Crowd Aims

• Connect to the wider Peterloo 2019 Programme providing a cultural rights through arts led practice by connecting to historic and
highlight on the anniversary of the massacre and provide a launch for contemporary international struggles for democracy.
the Jeremy Deller designed memorial. • Commission lead artists and guest artists to work alongside historians,
• Deliver a moving performance that brings the story and events of emerging practitioners, young people, community groups and local
Peterloo to life. choirs. The project aims to create unique opportunities for artistic and
• Connect to contemporary audiences conveying the political cultural collaborations and innovation.
significance of the event, whilst dealing with the subject and • Support the development of the artists and co-producers by impacting
contemporary political issues sensitively, respecting those that lost on the creative process of the artists and creatives involved, extending
their lives. We want the audience to find the performances their skills and experience in delivering a large-scale outdoor work and
inspirational, prompting reflection on the events of 200 years ago and providing opportunities to co-create new commissioned works. For
to connect with their own life experience and contemporary emerging professionals the project is also expected to provide an
understanding of the world. important development opportunity which it is hoped will aid
• Explore the continuing resonance and meaning of the events of 1819 networking, professional practice and lead to future opportunities.
in contemporary society, the importance of democratic participation • Achieve significant media interest in the event - promoting the new
and active citizenship and to explore ideas about individual human work that has been co-created and promoting awareness of the
Peterloo Massacre and its local, regional and national significance.
Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com

11
EVALUATION APPROACH
BRIEF
The evaluation brief was to: evaluate the current evaluation framework for the wider Peterloo programme of events to ensure it was fit for purpose
for this event; support partners in the collection of data and qualitative information that can be used for reporting by all partners (i.e. aligned to
ACE/Audience Agency frameworks as required by NPO’s, aligned to NLHF’s framework); ensure an audience evaluation strategy is in place; and draw
findings together into an interim evaluation report prior to a final report in February 2020.
METHODOLOGY & DATA

Review of existing framework with some adaptations to reflect different stakeholder requirements, especially themes of active citizenship such as
democracy and protest; and artistic practice / development / appreciation. Where possible, the same data has been collated as the wider
programme, to allow for comparison and inclusion. The full framework is provided as Appendix 1. In brief this comprised:
• Observation - 1 rehearsal: 90 minutes; 40 participants; 10 choir members; artistic director, stage manager, digital artists, project co-ordinator
• Observation - set up / delivery of first performance and online viewing of 3rd performance live stream: 2 performances, reading of the names,
observation of backstage operations and audiences
• Exit vox pop interviews with audiences: 30 interviews
• Post-event survey for audiences: 366 responses. (2400 audience members. Confidence level 95%, margin of error 5%. Very reliable data).
Manchester City Council held a special reception for invited guests following the first performance. Analysis of audience responses are broken
down into public and invited guests where relevant.
• Post-event surveys for participants: 57 responses. (120 participants. Confidence level 95%, margin of error 10%. Reliable data).
• Interviews with lead partners: Sarah Elderkin - Cultural Partner, Manchester City Council; Janine Hague - Project Co-ordinator, Manchester
Histories; Debra King - Director, Brighter Sound; Liz Pugh - Director, Walk the Plank; Karen Shannon - Director, Manchester Histories
• Interviews with lead artists: Artistic Director - Evie Manning; Music Director - Robin; Composer & Community Choir leader - Katie Chatburn
• Email feedback sent direct to lead partners: Manchester City Council, Manchester Histories, Walk the Plank

ACHIEVING THE PROJECT AIMS
CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Artistic Director Evie Manning (Commonwealth Theatre), and Music Director Robin Richards (Dutch
Uncles) met to discuss ideas in late 2018. Evie’s concept of having the crowd be the performance
rather than simply watch it led to discussions about how that could work and what it would be like
to be the crowd on the day in 1819.
After a period of experimentation, the two creatives focussed on protest as the central concept in
late Spring of 2019. Robin researched historical records and documents from the time, liaising with
historians, and commissioning / collaborating with a small team of other composers. Meanwhile
Evie began development work with campaign groups, supported by artists from Young Identity, a
collective of young poets and spoken word artists. They helped facilitate the script and introduced
Evie to other campaign groups. Evie then shaped the campaigners’ words into a script focussing on
protest, echoing the gathering in 1819.
Three months before the event was scheduled, the full project funding was confirmed, enabling
levels of ambition and production values to be significantly raised.
New sets, props and costumes were created, the involvement of a community choir was added into
the musical strand, and the number, diversity and quality of artists performing in between the main
From the Crowd performances increased.
Artists María Álvarez and Elisa Morais from Soisdetraca were commissioned to develop and
produce a specially designed digital software platform, enabling audiences to participate in the
performance by reading text from the script displayed in real time on two large scale digital screens
set as part of the performance.

The script development continued and as the strands converged, an additional
layer of creativity evolved when sign language was embedded into a chapter
of the script due to the involvement of a deaf campaigner / actress. The
volunteer performers learned to perform the chapter in sign language, and a
silent signed section was created for the choir.

EVENT DAY
Whilst audiences gathered on the site, two moving image pieces played; one of old footage gathered by
North West Film Archive of crowds gathering and the other a rousing piece of historical footage of
protest through the ages by artists Greenaway and Greenaway, commissioned by the Guardian.
Once crowds had assembled, the event began with an emotional tribute to the 18 people who died at
Peterloo in 1819. Descendants, dignitaries, artists and others read out the name and information about
one of the 18. This was followed by a two minute silence, and an 18 ‘gun’ salute, where 18 plumes of
red smoke were ignited to commemorate the lives lost. Attention then shifted to the interactive
experience where ‘the crowd’ (ticket-holding audiences) performed the co-created protest script.
Performers, protestors, musicians, choirs, banners, costumes, food, swathes of blood red spattered
fabric and plumes of smoke in colours associated with historic and contemporary protests all shaped
the ambience and flow of the production. Around 100 volunteer performers from across Greater
Manchester moved among the crowd, encouraging participation. The volunteers, of all ages, genders,
ethnicities, abilities and interests had joined two weeks-worth of rehearsals and were known as ‘The
Laurels’. Dressed in off-white robes, they carried laurel branches, echoing the laurel leaves worn by
march co-ordinators on the day of the original protest. Strategically located throughout the crowd, they
broke bread with people around them to build community, and guided audiences in performing the
script, as the public followed lines on giant screens in front of them.
The production was repeated three times throughout the day. In between each of the three ticketed
performances, a series of short ‘Rebel Karaoke’ performances by various artists and groups was staged
and the site was opened out to the public. All aspects of the event were free, and the final performance
was live streamed via the project’s website.

PROJECT TARGETS
Live audience 6000 From the Crowd - Exceeded: 7500+ live audiences on site and online
Over 2400 people attended From the Crowd on site and 5245 viewers watched the final performance live online.
Artists / creatives 7 - Exceeded: 13 artists / creatives.
Evie Manning (Creative Director); Robin Richards (Music Director); Katie Chatburn (Composer); Tim Chatterton (Producer); MC Zani (Performer); Oliver Vibrans
(Composer); Brendan Williams (Producer); Candida Boyes (Set designer); Elisa Morais & Maria Alvarez (Digital Artists). Liz Ackerley (Documentary Illustrator).
Jonathan Keenan (Photographer). Daniel Kenyon (Film maker). Jardel Rodrigues (poet).
This excludes stage management and event production support provided by Walk the Plank.
New works / commissions 23 Lead Artists, Young Identity and other guest artists - Exceeded: 26 additional guest artists commissioned.
11 musicians performed with percussion, drums, French horn, trumpet or as part of a beatbox collective. 15 musicians were involved in the Disrupt Residency
developmental music project with Brighter Sound.
Participants 90 over 36 sessions - Exceeded: 256 participants over 43 sessions and performance.
122 volunteers. 91 as ‘Laurels’ (lead performers) during rehearsals, 87 of whom were involved in the public performance. 31 other volunteers gave hands-on
support throughout rehearsals and the performance day.
112 singers performed in choirs and Rebel Karaoke performances
18 artists, performers, dignitaries, public and family members reading the names of the dead from the 1819 event
16 additional artists performing in Rebel Karaoke productions
6 Young Identity collective members performed and read names of the dead at the public event.
40 rehearsal sessions of two hours took place over 10 days; with an additional three public performances.
Audience – broadcast / digital / publishing 155,000 based on MEN readership on a Friday - Exceeded: Digital and media reach of several million
before, during and following on from the event.
Leading up to the event, media coverage included Guardian Online and print, Front Row, BBC Radio Four, Disability Arts On-line, Northern Soul and Manchester
Evening news amongst many other regional and national outlets.
Audience reach for Guardian online from 5 Jun - 17 August 2019, Banner Advert - 575,535 impressions / 1,705 clicks / 0.30% CTR, print readership 653000 adults
daily and mobile over 3.5 million people.
A media plan was executed with packages produced for BBC North West Tonight, Granada Reports, Channel 4 News, BBC Radio Manchester with viewing figures
of over 800,000.
1540 people have watched YouTube footage of From the Crowd and the Rebel Karaoke performances.
Close to 100 people have listened to the specially composed music on Brighter Sound’s Soundcloud Channel.

AIM 1: Connect to the wider Peterloo 2019 Programme providing a cultural highlight on the anniversary of the massacre and provide a
launch for the Jeremy Deller designed memorial.
“IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL AND MORE POLITICAL - AS I WANTED IT TO BE - IN LINKING 1819 AND 2019, A CALL TO ARMS , AND
MORE STUNNINGLY STAGED , ACTED, SPOKEN, SUNG, DRUMMED AND PLAYED THAN I HAD EXPECTED AND WAS PERFECTLY JUDGED IN
TIMING , INVOLVEMENT AND CONTENT .” Audience member
The high quality of the production was what surprised audiences the most, more than any other feature of the day.
WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS…

“ The quality of all the performers, and the breadth of performance (Speech, choir, music, costume, participation)”
“...how well-staged and well-written it was and was virtually unaffected by the rain!”
“How great the music was! Brilliant score.”
“The strength of the content and the messages delivered through the performance”
“the complexity and details of the various elements of the production”
“the way it brought together the past, present and future with music, theatre, media and voice. Impressive.”
“the innovative use of drumming and singing, and the red figures moving amongst the crowd.”
“The absolute commitment of everyone involved which contributed to an atmosphere of unified purpose in the spirit of Peterloo.”
“The quality of the choir and music back up. I expected just speeches.”
“The quality of the performances and the clarity of the ideas coming from the performers and the relevance to our city today”
“How the audience were part of the performance was unique - it felt immediately like we were involved, that it was written and directed to be for the
people of Manchester, rather than delivered 'at' us!”
“How well orchestrated and choreographed it was, and how creatively and effectively the audience participation was designed.”
“how inclusive and poignant the performances were.”
“The range of creative ways to tell the story of Peterloo”
“Sound quality was excellent and the music was great.”
Audience members

7645 people watched From the Crowd live.
New arts audiences were created, with around 80% of audiences attending because of their interest in Peterloo or Manchester Histories
compared to consistently low measures of those with previous experience of attending arts events.
99% saw From the Crowd.

52% watched the reading of the names of the 18
who died
28% saw one or more of the Rebel Karaoke acts
80% of audiences came because of an interest in
Peterloo or Manchester Histories
The creative vision for the production the crowd

needed to be within a contained area to ensure
the flow of activity, music, sound and other
ambient / design aspects could be structured
successfully. This meant audiences needed to be
within a gated and ticketed space which reduced
capacity. Torrential rain – the volume of which
shocked even Manchester locals – is also likely to
have had an impact on audience numbers.
Despite the weather, lines of people were
queueing up at the gates before each
performance. In total, around 2400 people
turned up to watch the event on site, and 5245
Jonathan Keenan Photography
watched live online.

Audiences rated all aspects of the quality of the event at 7 out of 10 or higher, especially regarding its local impact, concept and relevance.
Arts Council England Impact & Insight Quality Metrics

8.8 8.8 9.1 9.1
8.6 8.4 8.4 8.6 8.7 8.7
7.8 7.8 7.8 7.9 8 7.8 7.9
7.6
7 7.2 7.1
CONCEPT: It was an DISTINCTIVENESS: It was CHALLENGE: It was thought CAPTIVATION: It was RELEVANCE: It has RIGOUR: It was well LOCAL IMPACT: It’s
interesting idea different from things I’ve provoking interesting and held my something to say about the thought through and put important that it’s
experienced before attention world in which we live together happening here
Total Manchester City Council Guests Public
Notwithstanding the rain, audiences felt the event was high in quality. Especially regarding its local impact, concept and relevance. Although all areas
scored well, audiences felt the distinctiveness and rigour of the event could have been stronger still.
Across all the scores, though the general trends were consistent across audience types, general members of the public rated the quality of the
production more highly than the specially invited guests in each category. This is an important distinction to make, given the strong political nature
of the work and mixed opinions about this from those who invested and those who benefitted from the investment.
The project experienced some unexpected challenges throughout its development as a result of the Jeremy Deller designed memorial. As
Manchester Council and disability consultants and campaigners worked through difficult negotiations about how to improve access for disabled
people, it proved inappropriate to have From the Crowd provide a launch for Deller’s artwork. Therefore priority shifted to the causes and themes
central to Peterloo, to focus on the significance of the crowds and the act of protest. So though the Jeremy Deller artwork influenced From the
Crowd, by fore-fronting protests and campaigns of disabled people and access, From the Crowd was not intended to be a public launch of the
memorial as originally anticipated.

AIM 2: Deliver a moving performance that brings the story and events of Peterloo to life.
Audiences and participants felt a strong emotional connection to the events of Peterloo.
WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS…
Audiences and participants felt the emotions of the event strongly, some being moved to
“The positive and uplifting feeling it engendered in a
tears, becoming so engrossed they forgot about the weather or overcame inhibitions
drenched crowd - as we joined together in echoing
about active participation in the performance. Set and costume design; music, the
involvement of The Laurels and joining in with sign language were some of the elements the on-screen slogans, there was a real feeling of
audiences highlighted as contributing to this. A few commented on the importance of the community”
event taking place on the original site itself. “How interactive it was and how energised and
invigorating despite the weather conditions!”
91% of participants improved their knowledge of the Peterloo Massacre and the “How appropriate the participation was. I normally
events of the time. don't enjoy audience participation, but in this
Participants’ knowledge about Peterloo improved significantly. Though participants instance it felt absolutely right.”
started their involvement with great curiosity and commitment to honouring the “How passionate and personal people have
anniversary of Peterloo, they were more experienced and confident about their arts / remained to the massacre and other injustices.”
creative capabilities than heritage experience. Two-thirds scoring themselves at 5 out of “I found it really poignant and resonant.”
10 or lower for previous heritage experience or skills at the start of the project. “How emotional it made me feel”
“Saw it twice and was blown away both times”
Historical information about Peterloo could have been clearer for audiences. “how moving it was to commemorate something
Though emotional connections were strong and some subtle historical links were noticed, that happened 200 years ago.”
there was evidence that the production didn’t draw enough attention to the historical “How involved I got, even though I am usually quite
story of Peterloo itself. Many commented on this directly, and an absence of factual reticent.”
learning was evident among the many hundreds of general comments collected. 71% of “It made feel emotional because I felt connected to
audiences came because of an existing interest in the subject and 74% had been to other the event and I gained a sense of the importance of
events in the Peterloo programme, so the appetite and expectation for more historical people power today”
content was high. “The feeling of community it appeared to evoke in
the crowd”
Audience members

AIM 3: Connect to contemporary audiences conveying the political significance of the event, whilst dealing with the subject and
contemporary political issues sensitively, respecting those that lost their lives. We want the audience to find the performances
inspirational, prompting reflection on the events of 200 years ago and to connect with their own life experience and contemporary
understanding of the world.
WHAT THIS EVENT MADE ME THINK ABOUT WAS…
Two-thirds of audiences surveyed felt the
“It spoke truth to power, bravely and unflinchingly. The original marchers would have felt well
political content was commendable.
remembered and represented I think.”
While opinions were mixed about whether
“Good to have the freedom to be openly critical.”
the event had the level and direction of
“how radical it was. It wasn't afraid of saying some really controversial things.”
political content right, those who thought
“The mood of criticism. Though justified, I was surprised to hear it at an official event.”
the volume and content of the political
“how political it was, and rightly so!”
messaging was well pitched outranked
“How contemporary it was - focusing on today’s issues whilst respectful the past and the
those who disagreed by 2:1.
commemoration. It asked uncomfortable questions which was bold. And necessary.”
“... how brave and fearless and totally pertinent it was”
Audience members felt the tribute to
Audience members
lives lost in the Peterloo Massacre was
especially sensitively presented.
Those commenting on the second and third WHAT ELSE IS IMPORTANT TO SAY ABOUT THIS EVENT IS…
performances were not as moved by this “How moving the reading of the names in the first show was. Also, people respectfully watching
element – the live reading of the names of the list of names in the second and third shows.”
the dead had a more direct impact, but the “My daughters and I were extremely moved at times, especially on reading the roll call of the
inclusion on screen was appreciated none Peterloo dead”
the less. “It made me think more about the people who died in the massacre”
15% of answers to the question ‘what “The most thought provoking for me was the reading of the names of those killed and the names
surprised you most about this event’ – displayed on the large screens”
referred to the positivity of the experience “Very moved by reading of the names of the dead.”
given the tragedy behind the anniversary. “The stories of those involved and the names of the victims read out was the most powerful and
moving aspect of the performance.”
Audience members
As a result of the event, audiences were inspired to learn more about the AS A RESULT OF THIS EVENT I WILL…
connections between past and present; became more aware of global issues and LEARN ABOUT HISTORY 22%
were more empathetic to the situations of other people. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PETERLOO MASSACRE 8%
• 22% of comments about what people would do as a result of the event BE MORE AWARE OF THE IMPACT OF PETERLOO 4%
described being inspired to learn more about history. BE MORE AWARE OF MANCHESTER HISTORY 4%
• 13% were around sharing what they had learned and experienced on the BE MORE AWARE OF SOCIAL HISTORY / REFORMS HISTORY 3%
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PROTEST 1%
day with others, to spread the interest and impact further
TAKE GREATER INTEREST IN THE IMPACT OF HISTORY 1%
• 10% mentioned becoming more socially or environmentally active
RESEARCH MY FAMILY BACKGROUND 1%
• 7% were about being more aware of the world today, especially
homelessness, disability struggles, the interests of younger generations, and BE MORE AWARE 7%
people campaigning and protesting in general. BE MORE AWARE OF DISABILITY / ACCESS 2%
• Others said they would participate more in the community, volunteer, and BE LESS JUDGEMENTAL / MORE OPEN 2%
THINK MORE ABOUT WHAT PUBLIC ART INVOLVES / IS FOR 1%
donate to charity.
NOT TAKE RIGHTS FOR GRANTED 1%
BE MORE GLOBALLY AWARE 1%
AS A RESULT OF THIS EVENT I WILL…

“Look at current problems in more of a long-term/historical view”
“Read more on Peterloo and what happened after, historically & to the families.”
“Read more about Peterloo; continue to work hard to make democracy count (I'm a local councillor) every single day!”
“....be more aware of our Mancunian history and how social reform has developed.”
“find out more about working class history and its importance in the story of Britain today.”
“I will also visit places like Rochdale and Oldham, to learn more about industrial areas and reform.”
“Not make judgement but think through how others feel and their point of view.”
“think more about less fortunate people. Consider homeless in a less critical light.”
“try to be more forthright in defending the rights of the disabled, refugees and the unemployed.”
“feel more able myself to take more action for the good of the people.”
“listen more to my 16 year old daughter who is always talking about most of the issues covered and do something to help change the situation.”
Audience members

AIM 4: Explore the continuing resonance and meaning of the events of 1819 in contemporary society, the importance of democratic
participation and active citizenship and to explore ideas about individual human rights through arts led practice by connecting to historic
and contemporary international struggles for democracy.
Parallels between the past and the present dominated the reactions of the WHAT THIS EVENT MADE ME THINK ABOUT WAS…
audience “the similarities between the problems in the world then and
• 50% of comments in response to the question ‘What has this event made now”
you think about’ referred to making connections between the past and “How easily the lessons of Peterloo could be mapped to
today's experiences for vulnerable groups and the state of
present.
politics today.”
• The most common outcome (described by 24% of audiences) in answer to
“The connection between events 200 years ago and modern
the question ‘What will you do as a result of this event?’ was to become times, and the motivation, commitment and determination
more politically active. of ordinary people who feel that their voices are not being
• Comments about the parellels between past and present were the second heard”
most frequent comment about what audiences had been surprised by (13% “Links between past and present struggles; the importance
of comments) of history; the sad necessity of re-fighting old issues.”
Links between contemporary political action and history”
• 11% of participants also said they would be more politically active as a
“The lack of change in human nature between 1819 and
result of the project 2019 in the character of popular demands for progress.”
“I will join a political party”
As a result of this event I will… “Take a more activist stance on issues that I think are
BE MORE ACTIVE 45% important”
BE MORE POLITICALLY ACTIVE 24% “Be more involved in campaigning for what's needed and
BE MORE SOCIALLY / ENVIRONMENTALLY ACTIVE 10% important.”
GO TO MORE MCR HISTORY EVENTS / EVENTS OF THIS KIND 7% “DO MORE!!! Be brave - and get involved. We can make a
VISIT THE MEMORIAL AGAIN 3% difference.”
PARTICIPATE MORE IN THE COMMUNITY 1% “Try to take a more active role in politics”
VOLUNTEER 1% “Be more active in highlighting and resisting modern
instances of injustice.”
“Become more politically active, more prepared to demand
what is right and fair for everyone.”
Audience members

CASE STUDY: CONNECTING TO CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL STRUGGLES FOR DEMOCRACY
The timing of From the Crowd was especially poignant given the simultaneous protests in Hong Kong around similar issues to those at the heart
of the original Peterloo protests regarding voting and democratic rights. This was felt profoundly by audience members, one of whom was
moved to tears when talking about leaving the event.
“Today's been very moving. I've been thinking about the people in Hong Kong, the fighting.”
“The people in Hong Kong who are going through similar - worse even. It's a modern story.”
Audience members.
The resonance was felt most strongly of all by a group of students from Hong
Kong. Walk The Plank arranged for the group to visit Manchester specially to co-
incide with From the Crowd. Their group leader reflected on the experience,
“We’re so grateful for all your considerate arrangement over the trip. It was a
valuable learning experiences for all participants, especially From the Crowd
performance, we seldom have a chance to be engaged in this kind of event with
dynamic elements in Hong Kong. Thank you for bringing us to this brilliant event!”
“23 young people from Hong Kong were blown away by the performance and had
never seen anything like it... "it was so inclusive, and immersive" and "it felt very
relevant to us, with our protest at the moment" "I felt sad when the bloodstained
cloth came over us, as it made me feel very sad and scared about the situation in
Hong Kong right now" were some of their comments.”
Hong Kong exchange visit: tutor and student comments

AIM 5: Commission lead artists and guest artists to work alongside historians, emerging practitioners, young people, community groups
and local choirs. The project aims to create unique opportunities for artistic and cultural collaborations and innovation.
Ten artists / creatives enabled over 30 artists, 47 choir members and 122 volunteers to join in 43 workshops, rehearsals and performances.
Robin Richards, commissioned as Music Director by Brighter Sound, worked in partnership with historians
“the lyrics came from 1819 texts… In
to understand the events of the day of Peterloo, interpret and fact check historic documents of the time,
1819 people would have brought
and identify how music would have played a part in the day. Robin also commissioned three diverse drums and brass bands so I wrote
rising composers who each composed in collaboration with others: for that feeling, and the six synths
o Katie Chatburn is a contemporary composer of classical style pieces, often for film and television. represent the crowd. We had to
She also lectures in pop and contemporary music at Royal Northern College of Music. Katie created keep up with the changes [in the
music to accompany the disability campaigning section of the production, in liaison with disabled script] as they happened, so I would
go back to the historical research to
activists and performers, and a community choir.
see how we could change things and
o MC Zani is a champion beatboxer supporting major global RnB artists and working with young find different texts to include, so it
people living in deprived areas of South London. He created music performed by The Beatbox was great to have the historians
Collective, of which he is a member. collaborating.”
o Oliver Vibrans is a composer working largely with theatrical productions on stage, screen and radio. Robin Richards
He wrote music for a brass quintet to honour the brass musicians accompanying the marchers on
their walks to St Peter’s Fields.
“every word spoken would be an
Evie Manning, Creative Director, worked with a range of local community groups and campaigners, eye-witness account. I really
becoming a conduit for their words, from which the entire script was created. She was supported by wanted it to be their words, so I did
Young Identity, a spoken word collective who work with young people. Groups represented included a lot of talking to them and
historians campaigning for a high profile memorial; a collective of disability activists campaigning for recording, and then go back to
them to ask what words they
better physical access to the Peterloo memorial; a former homeless tour guide protesting about political
wanted to focus on. My policy was
factors which contribute to homelessness issues; a group of individuals protesting about divisions within ‘these are the conversations people
the Manchester LGBT+ scene; and members of Extinction Rebellion’s Red Brigade drawing attention to are having’”
global environmental issues. Evie Manning

“What surprised me was how much fun the rehearsal process can be. What an opportunity performance can provide for meeting new people. How
rewarding taking part in a big event can be. How much effort an organisation is involved in holding such a varied and large scale event. What
considerations need to be made when dealing with large groups of the public with a whole range of backgrounds and opinions. How determined the
public are to attend important events like this despite the terrible weather! How moving it can be to see people working together with the same aim.
How authentically issues were represented (produced and spoken by members of various different groups).” Project participant
New arts participants were created, with 81% motivated to take part for
reasons other than the arts.
• 96% of participants said they had learned a lot or something about

performance
• 70% about costume
• 56% creating writing, music or performance collaboratively with others
• 54% about front of house and hosting roles
• 46% about singing
• 44% about scriptwriting
• 19% creating artwork such as sets and props
• 52% other creative skills

Participants felt genuinely valued in their collaboration
“I learnt more about putting on a public immersive performance,
as shown in their scores from 0-10 in the table below.
with all the hard work and various people involved”
Arts Council England Participation Metrics AVERAGE “Value of practical direct involvement in the creative process”
I had a good time 9.1 “It was new to me to be involved with such a diverse group which
I felt like my contribution was valued 9 was a wonderful experience and it was truly a collaborative piece”
I felt encouraged to try new things 8.9 “I’ve learnt about other workshops and volunteering and have joined
The project was well organised 8.7 The Royal Exchange Writers group”
I did something I didn't know I was capable of 6.4 “As a member of the Red Brigade I learned a new and powerful non-
I was proud of what we achieved 9.4 violent way of protest”
“How a show is put together in rehearsal and technics, Orchestrating
/ singers / musicians/laurels/flags etc.”
“The beauty and quality of the script and music, which were
incredibly moving when we heard them together in each and every
rehearsal and performance - their impact didn't reduce with
familiarity but actually got stronger.”
“I was surprised by the level of collaboration and interaction, e.g.
between arts-makers, activist groups and arts-makers, and arts-
makers, activist groups and the volunteers.”
“The scale of the project and the high level of involvement the
volunteers were allowed to have”
“The warm way the professionals worked with and encouraged the
volunteers to give of their best”
“How people can achieve a beautiful piece of work in a relatively
short space of time. How much a group that looks so diverse on
paper can get together and create an event as memorable as this
event was.”
Illustration: Liz Ackerley Project participants: various

AIM 6: Support the development of the artists and co-producers by impacting on the creative process of the artists and creatives involved,
extending their skills and experience in delivering a large-scale outdoor work and providing opportunities to co-create new commissioned
works. For emerging professionals the project is also expected to provide an important development opportunity which it is hoped will aid
networking, professional practice and lead to future opportunities.
CASE STUDY: ROBIN RICHARDS, MUSIC DIRECTOR

For Music Director Robin Richards, working in collaboration with a theatre director; writing lyrics; a responsibility to be historically accurate;
and collaborating on that scale and with such a diversity of contributors were all new to his music practice.
“I’m used to collaborating, but it was the first time with a theatre director. And the scale – historians, community groups, the volume of people who
played their part was what was most different for me.”
“I’m not a lyricist, we were out of our comfort zones to put words to it. It was learning how to make it scan – using poetry that already existed or words
taken from posters and placards, and always looking at whether diminished the sentiment of the words or the music. That was a new process for me,
and I wanted to make sure we got it right. For instance, the words ‘60,000 filled the fields. The clock struck one.’ – I knew what it was, what it meant and
why it was important because I’d done the research. The script kept changing, because there were different understandings of the historical research, or
because people had changed their minds about what they wanted to say in their protest. “
“In 1819 people would have brought drums and brass bands so I wrote for that feeling; and to be rousing – to get the crowd going. The six synths were
added to represent the crowd. When it all came together it seemed quite an unusual combination, but it worked!”

CASE STUDY: EVIE MANNING, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Evie Manning, Creative Director, found the scale of the production; seeing the concept of a crowd production realised; the process of the
music collaboration; the creation of a script; and ensuring the process was fully accessible and authentic to the campaign groups all part of
her learning journey.
“I make theatre but I’m not a script writer and haven’t written scripts. At first it wasn’t clear where the script would come from. I knew that every
word spoken would be the eyewitness account of 1819 and of today. I really wanted it to be their [campaign participants] words, so I did a lot of
talking and recording, and then going back to them to ask what words they wanted to focus on.”
“It was great for me, working on that scale, with that amount of people, making them feel all feel valued and heard matters. It’s the most political
piece I’ve made and I’m proud of how it was all made. I’m still interested in the concept of the crowd and power, and I want to explore that more.”
“On the tech side, getting an insight into how the digital parts all came together, the music and the tech and the sound cues, and the cues for the
script in different parts; finding out about the balance on screen between beauty and accessibility, and the timing and what a crowd needs. I learned
a lot and did not expect all that.”
“I’ve not worked in partnership that way before, working with Robin and seeing how the music styles all went together and how they were
integrated. That kind of partnership was new for me.”

CASE STUDY: KATIE CHATBURN, COMPOSER
Composer Katie Chatburn’s main learning was about how to be more inclusive of a range of disabilities in her musical creation and
collaboration. She also discovered new skills and confidence to her conducting techniques, and how to work more democratically amidst large
numbers of contributors / participants.
“My piece was about the disability groups in Manchester and their voice. Working out how to line the music up with Ali [actress] and her sign
language was a learning experience. She’s a professional actress skilled in improvising, so each time she performed the script came out differently,
the length of time changed, and the music timing had to change. And it was a slightly interpreted version of the script because Ali has to adapt the
syntax to British Sign Language, which has its own structures. A technical challenge was having to type up a language that is in British Sign Language
and line up the script, sign language and music, when the timings and structure kept changing. I do a lot with film where things are defined against
the picture, so it would have suited me to know how music to write, how long to make it – so it was good for me to have to let go.”
“I’ve never taken part in an event quite like it. It was so ambitious in the way Evie had envisaged the crowd’s involvement and how the main speakers
and leaders were part of the crowd. Robin had backing tracks throughout to give the music more power and force to add to the feeling of the crowd.
So I created a backing track for the choir. That music production was a new challenge for me, I haven’t done that before. It definitely inspired me to
think about doing that again in the future.”
“I’ve never worked with disabled musicians before. Oliver [composer] is in a wheelchair. He has a condition that affects the volume of his speech and
his movement is different from other people’s. So he asked me to conduct his piece. I don’t do a great deal of conducting classical music. Oliver’s
piece was quite complicated as it changed rhythm every few seconds. I had to be really assertive. I really developed my skills as part of that – I spent
a lot of time working on it.”
“I learned that it helped to sit down right in front of Oliver so I could hear him properly and vice versa. And with Ali, the same thing. I talk really fast
and I was really conscious that she needs to hear one person at a time. It was a really good experience for me to have to think about making sure Ali
could see my lips and to try to feel natural about doing it.”
“The choir signing was something that came from when I met with Ali and she was showing me the signs as she was talking through her script. I
videoed her doing the signs and sent them to the choir but at that point it was going to be a couple of words, and then when I came into the 1st
rehearsal Ali was so struck by with how the choir were engaged in it as a performance. And it became this other entity where it became about the
performance and signing and singing. It wasn’t part of the design originally, it just emerged.”

MANCHESTER HISTORIES
“We’ve learned some lessons in terms of thinking, if you’re putting on Improving Accessible Policy & Practice
a large-scale event, what kinds of access elements do you need to The most significant learning outcome and the one with the most impact on
know from the start? So now we know it needs to be at the top of the the organisation has been ensuring disabled access and interpretation is fully
list of things to think about. Having a small access team on the day resourced and planned into throughout policy and practice. This has had such
made a difference, ringing people up to check we knew what they a strong impact on the organisation that disability is now the key theme for the
needed – to make sure they were really heard. We know we can say next Manchester Histories Festival, where their learning can be put into
‘tell us about your needs’ but also there needs to be a much more practice, their experiences built on, and more work revealing the hidden
integrated access policy and procedures. And we know now we need histories and celebrating the achievements and campaigns of disabled people
to budget double what we’d anticipated for access and disability will be their priority.
support. This approach is something we want to develop more and Strategic Priorities & Artistic Commissioning
now we have a better understanding of how to do that.”
Manchester Histories learned a lot about combining music and theatre
Karen Shannon, Manchester Histories commissions, and working at this level of ambition - especially on an outdoor
production in a partnership group. The experiences of the project have
consolidated their interest and belief in the potential for commissioning contemporary artists to help commemorate significant historical moments – so
much so that this has now been confirmed as one of three delivery strands in their business plan.
BRIGHTER SOUND
Creative Direction: Theatre Partnerships, Political Passion and Crowdsourced Content.
For Brighter Sound, the main learning was about the unique creative opportunities. This was the first time Brighter Sound have worked on a purely outdoor
event and they learned much from Walk the Plank about what it takes to stage such a production. Specifically in terms of managing sound outdoors,
technical logistics, how to plan for and compensate for bad weather, and how to create the environment for the number of people involved . Working with
audiences and participants for whom people’s rights and politics are so central and passionate in the process was also new. Watching a production develop
from a political starting point, and the director’s vision of turning theatre inside out – seeing the audience become the performers – have all been
innovative experiences for Brighter Sound. Creatively this was the first project in which Brighter Sound commissioned music specially intended to
accompany a script; partnered theatre based production; and worked with crowd-sourced content. Whilst the theatre element was new and inspiring,
Brighter Sound also felt a strong connection with the crowd-sourced content which aligns closely, but in a new way, to their company roots of working
through participatory practice.

WALK THE PLANK
Technical & Artist-Led Innovations
Walk the Plank felt privileged to be part of the theatrical innovation
created by the director in terms of turning theatre inside out by having
the audience speak the text. The mechanism for achieving this was
challenging because it was important all the audience could see a
screen, but at the same time the screen wasn’t intended to dominate
the event. In addition, the medium for the on-screen text was created
by two artists who were innovating with new methods for achieving
the effect (which resulted in 16,000 individual technical cues to align
with all the musicians, performers and readers). Though experimental,
it was complex and time consuming compared to the existing
hardware and software Walk the Plank are used to working with, so
co-constructing with a slower more manual artist-led pace demanded
new ways of looking at problems and solutions.
Illustration: Liz Ackerley
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

Internal Systems & Funding Remit & Role of Commissioning
As the commissioner of the project, learning from the application Through the experiences of the project, council officers have new
stage led them to develop new systems to improve cross- insights into the daily practices, opportunities and risks of artistic
departmental awareness of funding applications so that clashes and production, commissioning and delivery having ‘walked a mile in the
delays will be avoided in the future. shoes of’ the cultural organisations they support. These insights will
help them with future relationships across Manchester’s cultural
sector and will inform future commissions and commissioning
processes.

PARTNERSHIP LEARNING
previous experience of overseeing the full theatre-making experience. As a
Partnership Theatre Making: Clear leadership, decision making, systems and result, the group spent a lot of time trying to reach consensus when
written agreements are essential for successful relationships and creative efficiency was needed. This was compounded by the short time frames,
production. Without them, unresolved tensions and unintended limited availability of some production staff due to other commitments, and
consequences can arise. delays in finalising the script.
Working under very short time periods: Three months to create a production
“The roles of each organisation could have been a lot clearer.”
on this level tests capacity, relationships and staff wellbeing to its limits.
“It was a bit muddy at times who was leading, and in what areas.”
Arts Council funding was confirmed three months before the Peterloo
“Nobody had all the decisions as far as the theatre-making goes.”
anniversary, due to clashes with other applications being submitted which
“We didn’t always use the expertise we had. It’s tricky, at what point do
resulted in delays making alternative arrangements and resubmitting the
you step in and say ‘actually we could help here with a different solution.
successful application. As the event commemorated a historic anniversary,
Maybe we were all too pliable – and the timescale was against us.”
the deadline could not be changed. So three months before performance
Various project partners
day, new activity had to come together quickly including commissioning of
Partners agreed the balance between being collaborative and open, and artists, creating the script, arrangements of production logistics, recruitment
utilising expertise and efficiency, could be better with clearer roles, contracts of 100 volunteers, booking suitable rehearsal space and navigating the
and firmer decision making in place. As commissioner, Manchester City decision making processes among key partners, producers and stakeholders .
Council had lead oversight. Manchester Histories were the grant funded An added complication was the summer timing, which meant people were
organisation responsible for ensuring the project was delivered in line with less available for rehearsals because of holidays, and the flexible pool of
the aims and budgets agreed, overseeing the involvement of the public as production staff in the city was limited as many were already committed to
participants and audiences, and commissioning the artistic director. Brighter work on other projects (notably Manchester International Festival). All
Sound took responsibility for commissioning the Music Director and music, partners agree the intensity of working this way took its toll on
and Walk the Plank were responsible for the outdoor production including organisational capacity, individual wellbeing, and managing some
sound, design, general ambience, and co-ordinating the rehearsals. The complicated situations. That said, they also felt firmly committed to realising
process relied on strong relationships and collaboration. With the exception the vision no matter what, understanding the significance of the event and
of Walk the Plank, the partners had worked together before and understood wanting to ensure it was suitably remembered.
one another’s capabilities and vision well. At the outset this seemed like a
clear division of roles and responsibilities. It later came to light that in the
event of difficult decisions, there was no single decision maker in place to
take the lead, specifically someone with 360-degree oversight and / or

Crowd-Sourced & Political Scripting: The vision to create a politically relevant, The vision for the project had always had public voice at its core, with the
community-engaged script needs a strong support structure, clear brief, aim of community and campaign groups feeding into the development of the
transparent decision-making agreements, time to manage complex script. Partners admired the creative director’s excellent track record in
discussions, backed up by clear, concrete policies / protocols. community engagement and felt the authenticity of the piece could not have
been achieved without the philosophy she brought. However they
underestimated the time and political sensitivities this would need and it was
“It was provocative and thoughtful, not to everyone’s taste, but it did
unclear how such community engagement would result in a final script. The
a great job of creating a platform for voices to be heard.”
creative director was not a writer herself, so relied wholly on the crowd
“One of the things we were inspired by was the authenticity – perhaps
sourced aspect, which took more time and commitment than anyone had
we didn’t realise to get to that stage we ran the risk of putting
foreseen. The director’s commitment to authenticity saw her become
inaccuracies in place.”
embroiled in some difficult, controversial, political and ethical debates
“Was it a performance about protest, or was it a protest?”
between one of the campaign groups and one of the key partners. It was
“There is no show apart from the protest”
hard to balance everyone’s expectations and ultimately she prioritised the
“It’s hard to imagine Peterloo having been done justice in another
authenticity of the people’s voice, though it took time to reach conclusions of
way. The fact that it felt uncomfortable for the authorities – in a way
how to respond in the script, leading to delays and political discomfort. This
it felt appropriate.”
created knock-on strategic problems for some partners and impacted on the
“There was a discussion around having a writer, and I think we’d have
rest of the creative process since technical, music, design and other elements
had a less strong piece of work, but we might have had something
all relied on knowing the timings and content of the final script. The
more palatable – but would that be a good thing? I’m not so sure.”
experience has shown the partners they need to be more prepared for
“We did everything for historical fact checking. We need to make sure
managing creative or strategic differences in future commissions. However,
the contemporary aspects are checked for truth and being authentic
partners, audiences and participants all felt this way of working created very
too.”
strong, emotive, powerful and successful performance content. Partners all
“Things like that should be written down, how do we deal with
commented that this level of success probably couldn’t have been achieved
difficult conversations around freedom of speech. We should look at
without the process behind it. Ultimately all partners are very proud of the
how we deal with those creative differences and who has the final
production and in awe of the creative vision, theatrical innovation, and
say.”
success with which the political themes of Peterloo were revisited in a
Various project partners
contemporary context.

AIM 7: Achieve significant media interest in the event - promoting the new work that has been co-created and promoting awareness of the
Peterloo Massacre and its local, regional and national significance.
A PR campaign was developed collaboratively with Manchester

Histories appointing Fido PR as their main agency. Fido worked
alongside the Manchester Histories Digital Content Manager, and
Manchester City Council’s communications staff to show case the
project before, during and after the day of the public production.
Ahead of the day, stories attracted significant media coverage

including Guardian On-line and print, BBC Front Row, BBC Radio Four,
Disability Arts On-line, Northern Soul and Manchester Evening news
amongst many other regional and national outlets.
From 5 Jun - 17 August 2019, Guardian online coverage reached

575,535 banner advert impressions; 1,705 clicks, with print
readership of 653000 adults daily and over 3.5 million people on
mobile.
A media plan was executed with packages produced for BBC North
West Tonight, Granada Reports, Channel 4 News, BBC Radio
Manchester with viewing figures of over 800,000.
A separate Coverage Report and listing by Fido PR is available from
Manchester Histories.

CONCLUSIONS
From the Crowd was an ambitious aspect of the Peterloo 200th Anniversary Event. With partners and artists testing out new formats for engagement
and artistically commemorating historical moments this alone would have generated a lot of learning. Added risks through new partnerships,
commissioning artists not previously worked with, recruiting and managing large numbers of volunteers, crowd-sourcing the script, turning theatrical
norms inside out, and staging an outdoor event in the rainiest of cities – all within three months – would be enough to cause many organisations to
step away. The process was difficult and everyone involved gave their all because partners, artists and participants alike were dedicated to realising
their ambition in honour of those who staged peaceful protests at Peterloo for the benefit of society then and now, and especially to honour those
who died at the event in 1819.
Despite the challenges and the rain, 2400 people came in person to experience the performances with many more watching online. There were
strong feelings about the content and impact of the event. It was overtly political. Manchester City Council as commissioners of the project honoured
the event of Peterloo by enabling public voice to be given a clear and strong platform, even when this was not always to their advantage. This was a
brave and innovative decision. The risks undertaken by all partners paid off well.
Reactions from audiences and participants were emotive, positive, communal, active and hopeful. The event inspired people to be more active
politically, socially and environmentally. It changed people’s opinions, reducing judgement and increasing empathy.
Participants felt they were genuinely valued. They made new friends, learned new skills, and are keen to volunteer more in the future.
It was a project of divides, not to everyone’s taste, and though the negative voices were strong, they were in the minority. Some who had joined or
attended with an interest in history felt it was not historical enough, though most saw the subtleties and nuances of the historical references,
appreciating the connection with contemporary issues locally and globally. Some felt the event was too political – though it is hard to see how a
production aiming to commemorate a politically significant moment in Manchester’s past could be authentic and meaningful without such a strong
political presence. This was the conclusion drawn by the majority of audiences, who felt the political messaging was part of the production’s success.
Lessons have been learned and From the Crowd achieved everything it set out to and more. On reflection, partners have agreed the levels of success
achieved are most likely because of the risks and challenges, rather than in spite of them.

APPENDIX 1: EVALUATION FRAMEWORK
CREATIVE ACTIVITY KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS METHOD OUTCOMES & EXPERIENCE METHOD
TOTALS – Tickets /
wristbands allocated + • Connecting to key themes of: Protest, ACE Quality metrics + targeted
a. 3 x live
• 3 x live performances observation sheet democracy and freedom of speech
performances at / open questions via
• 6000 From The Crowd (volunteer completed) • Learning about the Peterloo massacre
the Manchester
• 155,000 broadcast / online / written • Empathy with the subject matter and • Face to face surveys / vox
DEMOGRAPHICS -
AUDIENCES
Central piazza pops

audiences online surveys the people it involved
b. Open access
• New / different audiences for new • Connecting the historic event to • Online surveys (promoted
activity between REACH - Social media via Eventbrite and on
artistic production of this scale / style contemporary issues
performances reach (views, Manchester Histories social
• Demographics: (ACE) disabilities, age, • Increased desire to contribute to a
c. Streamed responses / likes, media)
gender, ethnicity, postcode (Mcr Cl) better society
performances • Evaluator observations on
online ward shares, comments plus • (ACE) Trying out new approaches (i.e.
analytics where the day
new artistic experiences)
available)
• 90 participants
• Connecting to key themes of: • Evaluator observation of
• 36 education / training / participation TOTALS – people:
a. One-to-one Protest, democracy and freedom of rehearsal
sessions registration forms / • Survey - ACE participation
PARTICIPANTS
interviews speech
• Young people
b. Workshops / sign-in sheets; events • Learning about the Peterloo metrics + targeted / open
• Diverse backgrounds
rehearsals – admin records massacre questions for other feedback
• Working with new people
c. Interactive theatre DEMOGRAPHICS – • New historical skills + demographics. Range of
Demographics: (ACE) disabilities, age,
during the events registration forms • New artistic skills, experiences and survey formats / interviews
gender, ethnicity, postcode (Mcr Cl)
collaborations to ensure full accessibility.
ward

a. Artistic research
• Connecting to key themes of:
and development
Protest, democracy and freedom of
b. Partnership • (ACE) 6 performance / exhibition days
speech
working / • (ACE) 7 artists TOTALS – admin • Evaluator observation of
• Sector / artform impact and talent
collaboration • (ACE) 77 days of artistic employment records rehearsal
development - new learning and
SECTOR
c. Participatory & • (ACE) 23 new products or commissions • Review of documentation

skills about how to develop this kind
engagement • (ACE) Working with new people footage
DEMOGRAPHICS – of large-scale arts / heritage /
facilitation • ACE) Creative case - demographics: • Phone interviews with key
admin records immersive / collaborative activity
d. Creation of new (ACE) disabilities, age, gender, ethnicity, artists and partners
across artists and partners
artistic work postcode
• Trying out new artistic approaches,
e. Performance on
experiences and collaborations
event day

APPENDIX 2: AUDIENCE DATA
AUDIENCE CONTEXT
TOTAL RESULT MCC GUESTS PUBLIC

366 27 339
Which parts of the event did you see? TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
From the Crowd – main event 99% 96% 99%
Reading of the Names 52% 93% 49%
Rebel Karaoke 28% 48% 27%
What brought you to this event? TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
Interest in Peterloo 71% 56% 72%
Interest in performance / drama / theatre 4% 0% 5%
Interested in outdoor events around Manchester 2% 0% 2%
Interested in Manchester Histories events 7% 0% 8%
Interested in Brighter Sounds events 0% 4% 0%
Interested in Walk the Plank events 1% 4% 1%
I know someone performing 5% 0% 5%
I know someone involved in putting the event together 4% 11% 3%
I was just passing and it looked interesting 1% 4% 1%
Other 5% 22% 3%
Have you been to any other of these events this year? Yes TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
Other Peterloo events / watching Mike Leigh's film 74% 56% 76%
Other events by Brighter Sound 7% 14% 6%
Other events by Walk the Plank 19% 19% 19%
Other events supported by Manchester City Council 65% 80% 64%
Other events supported by Arts Council England 53% 63% 53%

AUDIENCE DEMOGRAPHICS
Age TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC

15 or under 0% 0% 0%
16-18 0% 0% 0%
19-24 2% 0% 2%
25-34 5% 19% 4%
35-49 17% 12% 17%
50-64 44% 54% 43%
65+ 32% 15% 34%
Gender TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
Female (including male to female trans women) 56% 31% 58%
Male (including female to male trans men) 38% 65% 36%
Non-Binary (such as androgyne) 1% 0% 1%
Or in another way (please tell us in your own words) 6% 4% 6%
Disability / Daily health or developmental condition TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
Yes 13% 0% 14%
No 87% 100% 86%

Ethnicity TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
WHITE - British 87% 81% 87%
WHITE - Irish 3% 12% 2%
WHITE - Gyspy, Irish traveller or Roma 1% 0% 1%
WHITE - Other background 2% 0% 2%
MIXED - White and Black Caribbean 0% 0% 0%
MIXED - White and Black African 1% 0% 1%
MIXED - White and Asian 0% 0% 0%
MIXED - Other 0% 0% 0%
ASIAN / ASIAN BRITISH - Indian 2% 8% 2%
ASIAN / ASIAN BRITISH - Pakistani 0% 0% 0%
ASIAN / ASIAN BRITISH - Bangladeshi 0% 0% 0%
ASIAN / ASIAN BRITISH - Chinese 1% 0% 1%
ASIAN / ASIAN BRITISH - Other Asian Background 0% 0% 0%
BLACK / BLACK BRITISH - African 0% 0% 0%
BLACK / BLACK BRITISH - Caribbean 1% 0% 1%
BLACK / BLACK BRITISH - Other Black/African/ Caribbean
0% 0% 0%
background
Other 2% 0% 2%
Place of residence TOTAL MCC GUESTS PUBLIC
Manchester 34% 37% 34%
Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport,
39% 41% 39%
Tameside, Trafford, Wigan
Other NW 12% 15% 12%
Other UK 13% 7% 13%
Other country 2% 0% 3%

AUDIENCE FEEDBACK (SUMMARISED)
TOTAL RESULT MCC GUESTS PUBLIC

Arts Council England Impact & Insight Quality Metrics
366 27 339
It was an interesting idea (average out of 10) 8.8 8.6 8.8
It was different from things I’ve experienced before 7.8 7.8 7.8
It was thought provoking 8.4 7.6 8.4
It was interesting and held my attention 7.9 7 8
It has something to say about the world we live in today 8.6 7.2 8.7
It was well thought through and put together 7.8 7.1 7.9
It’s important that it’s happening here 9.1 8.7 9.1
The tables below summarise the first 150 answers to each question, categorised into themes. The categories were not set in advance but created afterwards to fit
with the answers given.
Complete the sentence: What surprised me most was… What this event has made me think more about is…
HOW POSITIVE THE EXPERIENCE WAS 15% THE PARALLELS BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT 50%
THE HIGH QUALITY OF ART / PRODUCTION 15% IT WAS RIGHTLY STRONGLY POLITICAL 15%
THE RAIN 13% WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT PETERLOO 9%
THE PARALLELS BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT 13% THE HIGH QUALITY OF ART / PRODUCTION 6%
IT WAS RIGHTLY SO POLITICAL 10% MY LOCALITY 4%
IT WAS TOO CONTEMPORARY / NOT HISTORICAL ENOUGH 9% IT WAS TOO POLITICAL / NEGATIVE 4%
THE DIVERSITY OF EVERYONE INVOLVED 7% CONNECTEDNESS / UNITY 3%
IT WAS TOO POLITICAL / NEGATIVE 7% THE SUCCESS OF THE DISABILITY CAMPAIGNING 2%
IT WASN'T WHAT I EXPECTED / WANTED IT TO BE 3% IT WASN'T WHAT I EXPECTED / WANTED IT TO BE 2%
ISSUES WITH PRODUCTION QUALITY 3% THE DIVERSITY OF EVERYONE INVOLVED 2%
PETERLOO LEARNING 2% THE RAIN 1%
THE SUCCESS OF THE DISABILITY CAMPAIGNING 2% IT WAS TOO CONTEMPORARY / NOT HISTORICAL ENOUGH 1%
THE AUDIENCE WASN'T DIVERSE ENOUGH 1% THE FACTUAL ERRORS 1%
THE FACTUAL ERRORS 1%

As a result of this event I will…
BE MORE ACTIVE 45%
BE MORE POLITICALLY ACTIVE 24%
BE MORE SOCIALLY / ENVIRONMENTALLY ACTIVE 10%
GO TO MORE MCR HISTORY EVENTS / EVENTS OF THIS KIND 7%
VISIT THE MEMORIAL AGAIN 3%
PARTICIPATE MORE IN THE COMMUNITY 1%
VOLUNTEER 1%
LEARN ABOUT HISTORY 18%
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PETERLOO MASSACRE 8%
BE MORE AWARE OF MANCHESTER HISTORY 4%
BE MORE AWARE OF SOCIAL HISTORY / REFORMS HISTORY 3%
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF PROTEST 1%
TAKE GREATER INTEREST IN THE IMPACT OF HISTORY 1%
RESEARCH MY FAMILY BACKGROUND 1%
BE MORE AWARE 11%
BE MORE AWARE OF THE IMPACT OF PETERLOO 4%
BE MORE AWARE OF DISABILITY / ACCESS 2%
BE LESS JUDGEMENTAL / MORE OPEN 2%
THINK MORE ABOUT WHAT PUBLIC ART INVOLVES / IS FOR 1%
NOT TAKE RIGHTS FOR GRANTED 1%
BE MORE GLOBALLY AWARE 1%
OTHER 26%
TELL OTHERS ABOUT WHAT I LEARNED / EXPERIENCED 13%
SAME AS BEFORE 8%
NOT COME TO THIS SORT OF THING IN FUTURE 5%
DONATE TO A RELEVANT CHARITY 1%

APPENDIX 3: PARTICIPANT DATA
PARTICIPANT CONTEXT
What type of involvement did you have in the project? Please select Was there anything you especially hoped to get out of taking part? If
all that apply. so, what was this?
A Laurel 91% 52 Active participation 14%
A Peterloo Ambassador 25% 14 Better understanding of Peterloo 14%
Part of a campaign group 4% 2 Be part of commemorating Peterloo 30%
Community choir 2% 1 Civic Action 9%
Young Identity music collective 0% 0 Performance / theatre experience 5%
Rebel Karaoke performer 0% 0 Creative networking 1%
An individual working with Evie towards the script 5% 3 New experiences 1%
Other (please specify) 11% 6 Feeling uplifted 1%
Meet new people / be more social 12%
What made you interested in taking part? New skills 1%
Interest in Peterloo 45% Enjoyment, fun 7%
Interest in performing / theatre 17%
Interest in civic / political rights 6%
Like volunteering 2%
Interest in history / heritage 14%
Just looked interesting 8%
Meet new people 5%
To contribute to the script 2%
To give back to community / society 3%

PARTICIPANT DEMOGRAPHICS
These demographics represent The Laurels only
Disability Gender
Yes 9 11% Female 54 68%
No 70 89% Gender Queer 3 4%
Ethnicity Male 23 29%
White British 70 88% Region
White Irish 3 4% Manchester 38 55%
Pakistani 2 3% Stockport 8 12%
Chinese 1 1% Salford 8 12%
Mixed/Italian 1 1% Trafford 3 4%
White 1 1% Bolton 5 7%
Irish/British Cheshire 4 6%
American 1 1%
S. Yorks 1 1%
White other 1 1%
W. Yorks 1 1%
Age
Other UK 1 1%
60+ 38 48%
Overseas 0 0%
50-59 20 25%
40-49 7 9%
30-39 4 5%
20-29 10 13%
Under 20 1 1%

PARTICIPANT FEEDBACK
How much have you learned about any of the following aspects? A lot Some Unsure Almost Nothing N/A
nothing
Performance 48.15% 48.15% 1.85% 0.00% 1.85% 0.00%
Singing 12.73% 32.73% 5.45% 3.64% 7.27% 38.18%
Costume 24.07% 46.30% 3.70% 5.56% 1.85% 18.52%
Scriptwriting 18.18% 25.45% 3.64% 5.45% 5.45% 41.82%
Front of house / hosting 20.37% 33.33% 5.56% 3.70% 3.70% 33.33%
Creating artwork such as sets, props or other artwork 5.66% 13.21% 1.89% 7.55% 11.32% 60.38%
Creating writing / music / performance collaboratively with others 33.33% 22.22% 3.70% 3.70% 1.85% 35.19%
Other arts / creative skills 14.00% 38.00% 16.00% 0.00% 6.00% 26.00%
Knowledge of the Peterloo Massacre and the events of the time 65.45% 25.45% 3.64% 3.64% 0.00% 1.82%
Other heritage skills 19.23% 46.15% 13.46% 3.85% 3.85% 13.46%
Something else? (Please tell us what in the comments box below) 31.43% 20.00% 2.86% 2.86% 2.86% 40.00%
Participation Outcomes Arts Heritage Arts Council England Participation Metrics AVERAGE
Experience before 5.88 5.14 I had a good time 9.1
Experience after 6.61 7.11 I felt like my contribution was valued 9
Difference +0.73 +1.97 I felt encouraged to try new things 8.9
% Difference +12% +38%
The project was well organised 8.7
I did something I didn't know I was capable of 6.4
Skill before +5.22 +4.8
I was proud of what we achieved 9.4
Skill after +7.3 +7.31
Difference 2.08 2.51
% Difference +40% +52%

As a result of this project I will...
How much were your reasons for getting
Participate in other projects 33%
involved fulfilled by the end?
Be more active on issues that matter 11% Extremely fulfilled 82% 46
Volunteer again 9% Somewhat fulfilled 13% 7
Remember / treasure this experience 9% Unsure 2% 1
Learn more about Peterloo 5% Not really fulfilled 0% 0
Learn more about other history 5% Not at all fulfilled 0% 0
Be more confident 5% N/A 2% 1
Talk to people about the importance of being politically active 5%
Stay in touch with new friends 5%
Create more Peterloo related content / activity 3%
Join a political party 2%
Look into my family history 2%
Be more passionate about the arts 2%
Develop more creative skills 2%
Make more connections between the past and present 2%
Learn sign language 2%
Collaborate more 2%

APPENDIX 4: MANCHESTER RESIDENTS: WARD BREAKDOWN
WARD AUDIENCE PARTICIPANTS EXTRAPOLATED – EXTRAPOLATED – LAURELS EXTRAPOLATED – ALL

AUDIENCE ONLY PARTICIPANTS*
ARDWICK 0% 4% 0 3 9
BROOKLANDS 3% 4% 24 3 9
BURNAGE 6% 0% 48 0 0
CHEETHAM 9% 8% 72 5 14
CHORLTON 26% 4% 206 3 9
CLAYTON & OPENSHAW 3% 35% 24 23 66
DIDSBURY EAST 9% 0% 72 0 0
DIDSBURY WEST 3% 8% 24 5 14
HARPURHEY 3% 4% 24 3 9
HIGHER BLACKLEY 6% 0% 48 0 0
HULME 9% 8% 72 5 14
LEVENSHULME 3% 0% 24 0 0
MILES PLATTING & 9% 4% 72 3 9
NEWTON HEATH
MOSTON 0 0% 0 0 0
OLD MOAT 3% 4% 24 3 9
PICCADILLY 3% 4% 24 3 9
RUSHOLME 3% 4% 24 3 9
SHARSTON 3% 12% 24 8
WOODHOUSE PARK 3% 0% 24 0 0
TOTAL 830 70 200
*Includes Laurels, campaign groups, community choir and other voluntary performers
All figures are rounded to the nearest whole digit

APPENDIX 5: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Manchester City Council and all partners would like to recognise and thank the following people for their involvement in bringing this idea to life.
Common Wealth Brighter Sound
Evie Manning Artistic Director Debra King Executive Producer
Dutch Uncles Tim Chatterton Producer
Robin Richards Musical Director & Composer Kate Lowes Producer
Manchester Histories Rebecca Horn Marketing & Communications Manager
Karen Shannon CEO & Executive Producer Lucy Scott Disrupt Co-ordinator
Janine Hague Peterloo Project Manager Walk the Plank
Naomi Whitman Creative Producer Liz Pugh Executive Producer
Laura Stevens Digital Content Manager Sammi Gabb Live Event Producer
Charlie Booth Community Outreach Manager Fiona Hilton Production Manager
John Leatherbarrow Administration Leonie Hertig Production Assistant
Micheal Powell Peterloo Learning Co-ordinator Edward Salt DSM
Laura Sullivan Fido PR Carrie English Stage Manager
Clare Short Fido PR Sandra Blue Stage Manager
David Caunce Design and Print Media Jacob Amos Stage Manager
Robert Poole Historical Advisor Tracy Harper Stage Manager
Marion Hewitt North West Film Archive Laura Lannon Stage Manager
Will Taggart North West Film Archive Candida Boyes Designer
Geoff Senior North West Film Archive Brian D Hanlon Costume & Props Maker
Mark Pilkington Names of Dead Digital Sound Carmen Arquellades Costume & Props Maker
Greenaway & Greenaway Guardian Film Helen Davies Costume & Props Maker
Kevin Bolton Archivist Vicky Richards Costume Maker
Daniel Kenyan Film Maker Kevin Carroll Set Technician
Jonathan Keenan Photograhpher Enya Koster Props Maker
Liz Scribbles Documentation Hannah Bold Props Maker
Sally Fort Evaluation Richard Babington Pyro Designer
Rose Nilan Artist Liason Nick Kraven Pyro Tech
Andy Higgins BSL Terp Pete Finegan SFX Crew
Maria Brennan BSL Terp Stuart Roberts SFX Crew
Anna Clare Smith BSL Terp Nathan Jackson Pyro Production Manager
Lae Carbon-Wilson Assistant Director

Manchester City Council Access Team
Sarah Elderkin Cultural Strategy Georgia Keavey
Zoe Williams Cultural Strategy Maisy Hardiker
Jane Lemon News and Media Oscar Cooksey Nash
Maragret Longworth Event Manager Oscar Keenan
Ilyas Inayat Creative Director M-Four Design Studio Reading of the Names of Dead
Tony Howard Communications Monty Speed
Sarah Teague Communications Business Partner Mark Simmons
Martin Ridgway Presentations and Event Manager Marion Bailey
Manchester Central Red Saunders
Sarah Bickerton Event Mike Leigh
Louise Day Event Sue Stennett
Shaun Hinds Event Danny Boyle
Young Identity Su Bindless
Shirley May Director Professor Robert Poole
Jardel Rodrigues Poet Young Identity Justin Doyle
Reece Williams Compere Young Identity Cllr Abid Chohan
Digital Screen & Sound Karen Shannon
John Redfern Sound Design Jardel Rodrigues
Adam Taylor Associate Sound Designer Paul Fitzgerald
Martin Wallace Sound Tech Olivia McFadden
Elisa Morais Digital Artist Elizabeth Sibbering
Maria Álvarez Digital Artist Sheila Lemoine Abrams
Ian Henshaw Vision Mixer Ali Briggs
Written by
These Walls Must Fall Pat Clinton
Greater Manchester Housing Action Monument to Discrimination Group
The Public Meeting Mark Todd
Invisible Cities Dennis Queen
Danny Collins Ali Briggs
Kate Feld Alec Lopez
Mia Purtill And eye witness accounts from Peterloo compiled
Giovanni Bagioli by Peterloo 2019 ambassadors
Script Editor Young Identity
Roma Havers

Contributors to score Soloist singers Additional recorded singers
Katie Chatburn Composer & Conductor Pat Clinton Caitlin Laing
Oliver Vibrans Composer Mark Todd Sophie Clayton
MC Zani Composer and member of The Beatbox Collective Ali Briggs Lucy Mullin
Brendan Williams Recorded Music Producer Danny Collins Josefina Amon
Musicians Eniola Toba Samantha Kok
Graham Proctor Drums Mia Purtill Ophelia Appleby
Darren Gallacher Drums & Percussion Greg Nowell Dan Addison
Andrew Dallimore Drums & Percussion Tracy Drysdale Charlie Sinclair
David Moore Trumpet Giovanni Bagioli Dominic Lawson
Jenny Cox Trumpet Christina White Emyr Lloyd Jones
David Price French Horn Christopher Litler Ollie West
Andrew Mallon Trombone Alan Godson
Bellatrix Tuba Elaine Hayton
Bass6 The Beatbox Collective Yorusalem Okbamichael
Experimental The Beatbox Collective Naomi Sampson
Lady Ice The Beatbox Collective Christopher Brown
Delia Stevens Saf Elsenossi
David Sebuyange aka DAYZY Choir singers
Demi Adesoye aka Asriel Monument of Discrimination
Emily Kiely Jodie Buckland
Leroy Lucid Adee Lifshitz
Olivia May Joanna Brown
Patrick Farrell aka Cave Man Elly Grice
Sarah Angel Darragh Burke
Queen Tamika Gavin Adams
Zain Bashir aka Teddy Dan Taylor
Finn Armstrong aka Sweets Mike Huit
Kin Louie

FTC Community Choir Laurels
Daniel McDwyer Choral Leader Adam Kilkenny Heather Elliott Marie Christie
Singers Alan Godson Helen Drummond Marie Hardy
Abigail Longmate John Eaden Alice Searle Helen Eden Mark Todd
Anthony Mcloughlin JohnJoe Flynn Anna Mayall Helen Jackson Martin Skelton
Antonia Jones Julie Nagy Anne Cooper Helen Saxton Matthew Bridson
Cathie Eggett Linda Freeman Annette Neild Honor Donnelly Maura O'Brien
Chris Paul Mandy Carter Billie Dibb Graham Gillis Melody McGrath
Christine Ovens Mark Eggett Carol Barber Greg Nowell MICHAEL Atkins
Christine Underwood Pat Jowett Carol Richardson Gwynneth McManus Michael Gorman
Denise Smith Polly Phillips Caroline May Heather Elliott Michael Greenman
Dina Zaman Steve Dale Carolyn (Gina) James Helen Drummond Michele Phillips
Dominic Lynch Vanessa O'Connor Charlotte Peters Rock Helen Eden Mike Dempsey
Harry Dimitrov Wendy Eaden Chris Saxton Helen Jackson Mike Broomhead
Heidi Taylor-Wood Zuzanna Niska Christina White Helen Saxton Natalie Walsh
Holly Phelps Shelagh Gall Christine Ovens Honor Donnelly Paul Frost
Jane Jefferson Christopher Littler Ian Stewart Peter Wright
Peterloo Ambassdors Claire Robinson Janet Batslear Rachael Gilbert
Adam Kilkenny John Carpenter Clare Stuart Jannette Storey Rosemary Swift
Alan Godson John Sanders Danielle Garcia Jo Nery Ruth Wilson
Alexander Davidson Laurence Connell Dennis Queen Joan Rutherford Shamim Afshan
Alice Hebdon Maria Allen Eileen Jackson Joe McCallum Sharon Bradshaw
Alix Stiles Mark Simmons Elaine Hayton John Carpenter Sheila Gaughan
Anna Mayall Mary McGuigan Elaine Morrison John McGrath Sheila Keegan
Anne Cooper Mick McHugh Elena Brearley Julie Summerfield Shelagh Kelly
Bernard McGrath Mike Broomhead Estelle Longmore Karen Findley Simon Hughes
Carolyn (Gina) James Rachael Gilbert Esther Edwards Khizar Ali Suzanne Rossall
Charlotte Derbyshire Sheila Gaughan Frances Ives Laura Findlay Sylvia Kolling
Charlotte Peters Rock Tracy Drysdale Gaye Atkins Lauren Jaye Gradwell Tracey Harris
Christina Wallman Simon Hughes George Mclean Lisa Watson Tracey Jean johnson
Claire Robinson Andy Mercer George Mo Margaret Beetham Tricia Golden
Helen Eden Adele Taylor Graham Gillis Margaret Westbrook William Timothy Nuttall
Helen Drummond Gaz Fildes Greg Nowell Margarette Lee-Chapman Zeeshan Saeed
Jo Neri Gwynneth McManus
Red Brigade Laurel Support Team
Doug Francisco Invisible Circus Minna Keenan Maddi Ryan

Language

Welcome to Scribd!

From the Crowd Evaluation Report FINAL

Uploaded by

Document Information

Description:

Date uploaded

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Description:

Copyright:

Available Formats

From the Crowd Evaluation Report FINAL

Uploaded by

Description:

Copyright:

Available Formats

Related titles

EVALUATION

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 1

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 2

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 3

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 4

“IT WAS BEAUTIFUL AND POWERFUL AND MORE POLITICAL -

CONTENT: Undeterred by the torrential rain (even by Manchester

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 5

“WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS HOW MUCH CONTEXT: Unlike audiences, a far

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 6

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 7

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 8

MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 9

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com

From the Crowd Aims

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com

METHODOLOGY & DATA

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 12

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 13

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 14

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 15

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 18

WHAT SURPRISED ME WAS…

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 19

99% saw From the Crowd.

The creative vision for the production the crowd

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 20

Arts Council England Impact & Insight Quality Metrics

Total Manchester City Council Guests Public

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 21

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 22

AS A RESULT OF THIS EVENT I WILL…

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 24

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 25

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 26

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 27

• 96% of participants said they had learned a lot or something about

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 28

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 29

CASE STUDY: ROBIN RICHARDS, MUSIC DIRECTOR

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 30

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 31

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 32

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 33

MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 34

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 35

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 36

A PR campaign was developed collaboratively with Manchester

Ahead of the day, stories attracted significant media coverage

From 5 Jun - 17 August 2019, Guardian online coverage reached

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 37

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 38

Central piazza pops

Sally Fort, December 2019, www.sallyfort.com 39

c. Participatory & • (ACE) 23 new products or commissions • Review of documentation