Reason To Create: A Celebration of Our Cultural Community

In celebration of Exeter’s cultural community, Exeter Phoenix is set to host to a range of free activities and events this August.

With a focus on spotlighting Exeter artists and creatives, Reason to Create is a pop-up festival in which we celebrate and showcase the incredible versatility, resilience and creativity of members of Exeter’s cultural community.

We'll be throwing our doors open for a week of free, low cost and pay-what-you-like events created by artists from Exeter Phoenix’s Creative Hub, that span a range of art-forms in a range of spaces in and around Exeter Phoenix. Expect to find theatre shows, comedy, music, film & art, an insight into creative processes, networking events and a vibrant range of exciting, fresh ideas on show.

Inspired by the artists who told Exeter Phoenix that we offered artists ‘a reason to create’ over lockdown, we are offering this platform to artists and audiences alike to get a taste of some of what makes the cultural community Exeter shares so special.

With activities taking place from Mon 9 Aug to Sun 15 Aug, visitors will have the opportunity to watch an array of films created by some of the West Country’s best filmmakers with their 48 Hour Film Challenge and Filmathon screenings and discover artwork from Exeter Phoenix’s youth arts groups Freefall & Freefall+ in a brand new exhibition celebrating the amazing work they created during a year of lockdowns.

Visitors will also be treated to four freshly commissioned performance pieces as part of the multi-arts venue’s Ignite & Seed commissions entitled A Night of New Work.

Speaking about the festival, one of Reason to Create’s organisers and Exeter Phoenix’s film programmer Claire Horrocks said:

This is great opportunity to turn the limelight onto the individuals who are shaping our creative community in and around Exeter. So much amazing work was inspired and created through the last year despite all the restrictions and it is a privilege to have the opportunity to platform this work for all to see.

Additionally, Performance Programmer and Reason to Create co-organiser Naomi Turner said:

I’m really excited to be able to present the results of our new theatre commissioning scheme as part of Reason To Create, as well as just being able to platform and celebrate the outstanding work of local artists through the scratch night and programmed theatre shows. I hope audiences and artists alike will leave the festival feeling inspired!

See the Reason to Create programme here >>