Archive

Life in 360- 2025

Funded by Arts Council England, we developed and tested a new model of creative facilitation and digital engagement, producing four co-created films and an innovative VR experience with young people. Working with schools and community groups, we supported participants in creating films that reflect their lived experiences, collaborating with partners such as The Whitehaven Academy, Carer Support South Lakes, Furness Academy, Brewery Arts, Rose Hill, and Full of Noises.

Forge Festival 2022-2025

Our most ambitious, large scale co-creation project to date. Forge Festival was a four-year creative programme in Cumbria, funded by Arts Council England, empowered young people to find and express their voices through theatre. Working with schools, community groups and young artists, we delivered annual theatre festivals at Lakeland Arts Venues in Kendal and Windermere engaging thousands of young people. We explored young people’s responses to ‘The future fight, ‘Breaking through’ ‘The human connection to the natural world’ and ‘Life through a lens’. We commissioned 13 early-career artists over the 4 year project to create brand new solo performances and toured a selection of these across rural Cumbria, nurturing local talent and inspiring future generations.

Flash Mobs- 2025

The Knotted project were commissioned to create two flashmobs alongside young people in Seascale and Cockermouth. Young people in Seascale performed pop up performances at Imagine Festival on the seafront to 100’s of audience members, while young people in Cockermouth performed in the historic site of Cockermouth Castle. Commissioned by Everyone Here and Cockermouth Live.

YDMT, Youth Voice Consultation- 2025

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust undertook a large-scale community consultation to gather young people’s thoughts and feelings about their local natural environment. The Knotted Project, were commissioned to deliver engaging workshops, recruit and run a youth steering group, and facilitate Youth Voice sessions with local organisations, ensuring young people’s perspectives influenced governance and decision-making focused on their local environment.

Land Of Lead and Silver - 2025

Commissioned by North Pennines National Landscape, we explored and celebrated the mining heritage of Nenthead and Alston Moor. Through research and conversations with local residents, we gathered powerful stories that brought the area’s history to life. Through writing, imagination, and performance, local primary school children transformed these stories into drama performances. The children animated the history of their community, developing a deeper connection to their local heritage and place. We delivered interactive workshops for Nenthead200, connecting generations and celebrating local identity through creativity.

Penrith Town Hall Youth Consultation 2025

The Knotted Project were commissioned to design creative workshops that engaged young people from the Penrith Community in the Penrith Town Hall consultation. The workshops aim was to inspire and engage children and young people but also provide the opportunity for them to express their ideas and views through creativity. The outcomes from the workshops will contribute towards developing the vision for Penrith Town Hall and embed the young people’s voices into the wider planning and creative design.

Krankenhaus Festival 2022-2026

The Knotted Project deliver young peoples activities over the annual festival weekend at Muncaster Castle in Cumbria. Young people have the opportunity to create puppets, take part in drama activities and co-create a performance for the festival weekend finale! The weekend is always full of festival fun and energy!

Playful Cities, Salford LCEP- 2024

Playful Cities was a co-creation project with a unique and imaginative brief. Funded and commissioned by the Salford LCEP, The Knotted Project were asked to co-create a piece of theatre with a group of students from St Ambrose Barlow Secondary School in Salford. Our ambition was to look into the future and reimagine city spaces, packed full of games, joy and play – the outcome was a 30 minute production that inspired audiences and asked adults to reconsider where play might feature in a world that seems to be getting more and more serious. The performance featured projection, physical theatre and audience interaction and participation.

Park View Project - 2024

In partnership with Raise Cumbria and Brathay Trust, The Knotted Project led a creative initiative in Barrow’s Park View community, funded by Westmorland and Furness Council. The project engaged local young people in forestry and woodland planting, with a co-creative approach exploring the potential of the new green space. Participants learned forestry skills, planted 100 trees, and developed creative works in music, film, and theatre to highlight the importance of protecting the woodland and addressing environmental vandalism. Their outdoor performance engaged the wider community, creating a lasting impact and fostering a sense of ownership and pride in the local environment.

Whitehaven Forestry Project- 2024

This project saw creativity combined with forestry and community planting. Students at The Whitehaven Academy designed and planted a new area of woodland on their land. We worked with Year 9 students to devise a creative performance which responded to their natural surroundings, exploring identity, building confidence and fostering pride and ownership over the newly planted woodland. The outdoor piece ‘Our World’ shared the young people’s views on the value of that forest and what it might mean to their community in the future. Funded by DEFRA, commissioned by Raise: Cumbria Community Forest and in partnership with Fibrus  and England Trees Action Plan.

Stage Directions 2023

The Knotted Project were lead artists on the 2023 Stage Directions Summer Program delivering theatre & Co-Creation in Salford. Stage Directions is a theatre making programme for young people in Salford. Led by the Salford LCEP & partners & funded by DCMS & Arts Council England.

Inspired by the ideas of young people, we led a team of incredible artists and an army of creative young people to co-create ‘The Summer That Went Wrong” supported by technical support of lighting, projection and sound, also designed and operated by young people.

Tales Retold 2021-2024

The Knotted Project were lead artists on Tales ReTold, part of the Story-led Resilience Program at Blackpool Grand Theatre; Winner of the 2023 UK Theatre award for Excellence in Arts Education. Across 3 years, we delivered over 400 workshops in 12 primary schools across Blackpool, supporting hundreds of young people to identify, explore and define resilience by looking through the lens of stories and theatre.

WRECKED! 2021-2022

The Knotted Project were commissioned by Lakeland Arts in 2021 to create an interactive experience for families at Windermere Jetty Museum, using indoor and outdoor spaces in the unique setting. The experience, in place from May 2021-Spring 2022 encouraged families to become investigators, collecting clues and uncover the mystery message hidden beneath the surface. An interactive adventure with a powerful environmental message at it’s core.

Inside The Igloo 2020-2022

A children’s book about three playful penguins, Pixel, Crash, and Click who are stuck inside their igloo during a storm was later adapted into an interactive live show for families.

Inspired by themes that resonated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the story reflects how people had to stay indoors but could still find creativity, fun, and connection. As the storm rages outside, the penguins splash, skid, and dance their way through the day, discovering adventure while learning about looking after themselves, each other, and the environment.

The published story and interactive website was brought to life as an interactive family performance, where children aged 3+ and their grown-ups could join in with the story, interact with the performers, and take part in fun workshops involving dance, drawing, and creative play. The production toured extensively across the UK, sharing its playful storytelling and positive message about wellbeing, friendship and community.

Created in partnership with HawkDance Theatre as Knotted Hawk Productions. 

Forge The Future 2020

Forge The Future

With extraordinary ambition and imagination, a performance company of young people from Cumbria, worked with TKP directors to create the film ‘Forge the Future’. Written and self-filmed by young people on mobile phones during lockdown in the Covid-19 Pandemic, the film offers a unique insight into the impact of the pandemic on young people and their mental health. The group used a timeline of the year 2020 to structure & guide the piece, encapsulating the mood & feelings of each month in a raw & honest way.

Professional Film Maker Nick Farrimond, guided the performance company in the creation of their film work & brought all the material together in the final edit.  The original and emotive sound score, created by Lee Affen and members of the performance company, was inspired by the film’s content & themes.

Outside the Igloo 2019-2020

An interactive touring production for children aged 4+ and their families. A magical story about having adventures, taking risks and being brave!

This production toured extensively across England in 2019-2020. The hour long, highly physical show, fuses dance and theatre to tell a magical story that aims to inspire children to keep having adventures.

Produced in partnership with Hawk Dance Theatre as KnottedHawk Productions and funded by Arts Council England.

TKP Training Company- 2019

An intensive, high-quality training program for aspiring young artists aged 16-25 in Cumbria. The Training Company provided over 100 hours of high quality, specialised arts training for young people in Cumbria at whatever stage they were at of their artistic career. The project was funded by Arts Council England and Great Place Lakes and Dales, with support from Kendal College.

Dystopia - 2019

An urgent, action-packed outdoor show about a broken world, a fight to save the future and the power of influence.

The year 2056. The world has developed beyond recognition. As the natural world drowns in concrete, The State are eradicating what’s left from public memory. A generation is growing up where parks, fields and forests are limited to imagination. Zed has escaped the system and wants change but …is anybody listening?

A Knotted Project Production developed in 2019 with funding and support from Arts Council England, Lakes Alive Festival and Forestry Commission.

NOISE - 2019

An original dynamic outdoor performance piece co-created with young people, performed to over 1000 audience members at Lakes Alive Festival 2019.

Inspired by over 100 hours of skills development, professional training & creative workshops, the production was co-created by TKP Directors & the Training Company, using a range of art forms such as spoken word, movement and music.

NOISE gave a powerful insight into the range of immense pressures and expectations placed on young people in our modern society and the impact on their mental health & wellbeing. Funded by Arts Council England & Great Place Lakes and Dales.

Time to Bloom – 2018-2019

A heartfelt production exploring grief and the pressures that Young Carers face on a daily basis, co-created over a year long process.

Bringing together a cast of Young Carers in Salford as well as professional actors and musicians, this dynamic physical story telling used puppetry, shadow work, movement and live music to bring to life this moving and powerful story. Young Carers and the professional cast were seamlessly integrated throughout the piece, reflecting the true nature of a co-creative process.

Performed at The Lowry. Co-created with Salford Young Carers, Gaddum and commissioned by The Lowry, the project won the Heart of Salford award 2019. Featured on BBC documentary about young carers in 2019.

The Chit Chat Chalk Show 2017-2019

An interactive, touring dance theatre adventure for children aged 3+ and their families, exploring emotional literacy through colour.

The Chit Chat Chalk Show was a physical dance/theatre show, packed with interaction for children aged 3+ & their families.

Created in partnership with Hawk Dance Theatre as KnottedHawk Productions, funded by Arts Council England. This production toured extensively across the UK and engaged thousands of young people in over 80 performances.