Bunker Talk #136: Big Telly

Big Telly brings world class theatre to small communities in Northern Ireland, and we bring their voices to the world stage. We are a conduit between rural communities and urban platforms, providing a space for exchange, brokering wider conversations about the local, the global and our place in society. We are pioneering playmakers, using creativity as a catalyst, and placing people at the centre of our work to provoke thought and explore the possibility of change. We work closely with communities to establish frameworks which offer new ways to connect. All of our work is interactive, co-created and bespoke, addressing issues of sustainability, accessibility, and diversifying views on cultural identity. We hijack familiar stories and spaces such as houses, shops, cafes in order to make audiences feel both safe and brave, mixing up traditions with tech to make bold new story worlds with and for the wider community.

Last year, Frankenstein’s Monster sold out Off Broadway, winning Origin 1st Irish 2023 Innovation Award, and receiving critical acclaim from New York Times and Wall Street Journal. We partnered with Belfast International Arts Festival 23’ to deliver their digital programme in our virtual arts venue BRICK MOON. We showcased our VR experience at SXSW and the Irish Consulate, delivered an invisible theatre provocation at Croke Park, Dublin and are among five recipients awarded a research grant from the Centre for Cultural Value, to explore how theatre can address societal challenges through our latest production of ‘GRANNY JACKSON’S DEAD’.

Bunker Talks

This event is part of Bunker Talks. Bunker Talks invite artists and researchers to talk about who they are and what they do. Curated by the Performance Research Group at Manchester School of Art, Bunker Talks explore geopolitical, ecological or economic concerns. The talks create space for critical encounters, presentations, provocation and dialogue.

Originally conceived in the pandemic to explore how artists, writers, curators and researchers continued to make and share their work, live Bunker Talks now take place at The Salutation every month. Since 2020, over 135 talks have been hosted by members of the Art & Performance Research Hub. All talks are recorded, edited, captioned and then archived to create an online catalogue, capturing how artists, makers and curators think about the world today. Find all previous talks here: https://www.art.mmu.ac.uk/bunkertalks/

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Salutation Pub, 12 Higher Chatham Street, Manchester, United Kingdom