We’re opening a second studio in Cambridge. This month, Operations Director, Jenny Male talks with Creative Producer Anna Haydock Wilson about her role in the upcoming expansion. Anna: Jenny, can you tell me what you’re looking forward to as Play:Disrupt opens a new office in Cambridge? Jenny: I grew up
This month, Play:Disrupt’s co-director Malcolm Hamilton talks with associate artist Amy Rose about ways that past experience as street performers have influenced their approach to designing and delivering creative community engagement. ur associate, Amy Rose, reflects on creating collective visions of the future. Amy: I thought we could have a chat
Our associate, Amy Rose, reflects on creating collective visions of the future. A few years ago, I was invited to take part in an artist-led collaboration about imagining alternative futures. In response to the many social, environmental and political challenges of our time we were to co-create ‘sacred objects’ that expressed
How play helps us cope: staying nimble in challenging times. Our associate, Amy Rose reflects on the value of seasonal and everyday play. [Image credit: Chris O’Donovan – The Royal Parks] Playfulness has been connected to increased creativity, emotional, social and intellectual intelligence, positive health and wellbeing outcomes and more.
Six ways to super-charge community consultation Newsletter Winter 2025 This month, our associate, Amy Rose offers some questions that can help your organisation to prepare for successful public engagement. Play:Disrupt often serve as the conduit between those seeking the insights of communities and those whose lives and work are shaped by the
What are your earliest memories of being a citizen? Mine recall some of the rituals associated with growing up in 1970’s New England: pledging allegiance to the flag at the beginning of the school day, playing glockenspiel in the marching band for the Fourth of July parades (true fact!), attending anti-nuclear events, copying
Here are some of our highlights from 2024 Newsletter December 2024 “It was great to engage with children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers, about the Diana Memorial playground. By watching them play, we learned so much specific detail–what works and what doesn’t work
Here are some of our highlights from 2024 Newsletter December 2024 “It was great to engage with children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers, about the Diana Memorial playground. By watching them play, we learned so much specific detail–what works and what doesn’t work
Here are some of our highlights from 2024 Newsletter December 2024 “It was great to engage with children with special education needs and disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers, about the Diana Memorial playground. By watching them play, we learned so much specific detail–what works and what doesn’t work
Newsletter October 2024 Four readings and a festival: Influential ideas at the heart of Play:Disrupt Origin stories are not only good for film franchises, but also good for communicating a unique approach to work. I recently asked around the Play:Disrupt workshop for the ideas, people, books and so on, that have
Newsletter September 2024 Why involve children and young people in planning and placemaking? My workspace is within earshot of a local primary school where children play on their breaks. Most days, the sounds from the schoolyard provide a pleasant rhythm to my day. Other times it pulls focus; a particularly militant adult barks orders,
Newsletter September 2024 Why involve children and young people in planning and placemaking? My workspace is within earshot of a local primary school where children play on their breaks. Most days, the sounds from the schoolyard provide a pleasant rhythm to my day. Other times it pulls focus; a particularly militant adult barks orders,
Newsletter June 2024 Play, imagination, storytelling and games form the roots of our methods to facilitate conversations between and within organisations, institutions and participants. We work alongside participants as problem solvers in challenges, whether that be a placemaking exercise, health service, playground design and more. Our approaches are aligned with arts based
Newsletter April 2024 In this month’s newsletter Often useful, sometimes messy, always essential Make an Encouraging Banner Upcoming News Pop-up place-making Often useful, sometimes messy, always essential I recently attended an inaugural lecture by an old friend at the University of Bristol, expecting to hear about his projects, in which maths and
Newsletter March 2024 In this month’s newsletter Do games really improve engagement? Gamify to Clarify Upcoming Time for a new Bristol brand? Introducing Nia Play, design thinking and Free Ice Cream to map sustainable futures Gamify Everything? Do games really improve engagement? Saturday, March 23 is the penultimate Bristol Urban Forum! (see details
Newsletter February 2024 Hello! It’s Amy Rose here, and I’ll be editing the newsletter while Jenny is on maternity leave. Like Play:Disrupt’s founder and director, Malcolm Hamilton, my background is in street theatre and outdoor arts. I enjoy work that builds community and democratises public space in joyful, playful ways. After becoming
Context is everything. This couldn’t be more true in our journey to Poland to share ROOTS at a games festival focusing on ‘neighbourhoods’. We designed ROOTS in Bristol in England. By that I mean we designed it within the social and political constructs of England. I hadn’t really been aware
We always enjoy attending Festival of Place, and this year we were asked to devise an activity to help connect people and break the ice after a couple of years of limited social contact. Inspired by The Good Ancestor, by Roman Krznaric, Aileen Tatton-Brown’s future thinking essay in 1937, ‘Britain
Play:Disrupt and play technologists Free Ice Cream are developing a digital mapping tool that invites users to connect with the systems that influence their places. This tool aims to build more agency for communities and individuals, while getting a clearer picture of what makes a place work, or not. The
It was just over a year ago that the statue of Edward Colston was toppled in Bristol during anti-racism protests. The conversation about Coslton’s legacy in Bristol has been alive for many more years prior, relating to the statue and the many streets and buildings given his name. In Easton,
We’re all grasping for new ways to engage. Just as Zoom becomes the new normal, so video call fatigue sets in. There have been some great developments made in digital engagement, from community centres built with game engines to quickfire playful survey tools, these are innovative, fun still screen heavy.
Play:Disrupt has grown from a theatre company. Creativity and collaboration is at its heart. Our projects can bring together storytellers, technologists, neighbourhood planners and social value experts to meet a brief. Outside of specific projects, we commission creatives to play with open invitations, to offer alternative perspectives and generate new
Way back in the summer of 2019, when ‘got the city on lockdown’ meant nothing more than boy band ‘Blue’ sneaking into your Spotify, I was awarded a ‘Developing Your Creative Practice’ grant from Arts Council England. Under the lofty title ‘Creative Interventions for Social Impact’ I planned to learn
Considered, well-designed community engagement is important, not just for social value and a more equitable society, but also makes better economic sense (in the long run). As has been stated, building houses is an easy area for conflict. It is a jump to a binary dialogue and developers can easily
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