Author Archives: Scout Winser

  1. Documental Productions: Scaffolding – Full Show Recording

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    In July 2024, South West theatre company, Documental Productions was selected for the prestigious Edinburgh National Partnerships award by Bristol Old Vic and The Pleasance Theatre Trust. Before heading to EdFringe, they presented a sold-out work-in-progress performance of their show Scaffolding at Exeter Phoenix. Written by local award-winning writer and Exeter Phoenix associate, Lucy Bell, Scaffolding shines a light on caring and the wellsprings of hope and strength in small communities.

    As part of their 2025 remount of the play, Documental have produced a full subtitled recording of their show at Sterts Arts and Environmental Centre, now available to watch on their YouTube channel.

     

    Developed in association with Bristol Old Vic, Scaffolding follows Sheridan. She is having a bad day: her church is closing, Adult Social Care are on her case, and she can’t work out which ingredients she needs to make a bomb. With no one else to turn to, she climbs the scaffolding around a leaking steeple with a few questions for Whoever Is In Charge...

    Developed in association with Bristol Old Vic, Scaffolding follows Sheridan. She is having a bad day: her church is closing, Adult Social Care are on her case, and she can’t work out which ingredients she needs to make a bomb. With no one else to turn to, she climbs the scaffolding around a leaking steeple with a few questions for Whoever Is In Charge...

    About Documental

    Led by Lucy Bell and producer Naomi Turner, Documental Productions is a Devon-based company producing bold, joyful New Writing (theatre, musicals, audio, film and original music) which centres the lived experience of learning disabled and less-head voices. Documental Productions recently won an honorary award for efforts in social film making for Unreachable, a  film screened at Exeter Phoenix's Studio 74 in 2025.

    In a 2024 interview for our Creative Hub, Lucy discussed what they enjoyed most about the creative scene in the South West. Lucy said 'I like the way most of us know each other and have really got each others' backs'. You can read the short interview here.

    Credits

    Creative & Production team:

    Kerry Norton - Performer / Sheridan
    Lucy Bell - Writer
    Natalie Simone - Director
    Katie Villa - Associate Director
    Naomi Turner - Senior Producer
    Susannah Bramwell - Engagement Producer
    Ella Barraclough - Set & Costume Designer
    Rachael Duthie - Lighting Designer / PM consultancy
    Joseff Harris - Sound Designer / Composer
    Karla Shacklock - Movement Director
    Josh Lucas - Technical Stage Manager
    With thanks to the original director, producer and performer Lillian Waddington, Jessamie Edkins-O'Brien and Suzanna Hamilton

  2. The groundbreaking cinema of Lynne Ramsay

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    Fresh from the film festival circuit comes an intriguing and brave new black-comedy-drama from revered Scottish filmmaker Lynne Ramsay. Die My Love tells the story of Grace, portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence in a career-defining performance, a woman with hopes of writing the Great American Novel. Grace and her partner Jackson (Robert Pattison) have recently moved to rural Montana and begin to settle into their new life. However, things are not as perfect as they seem. As the couple welcome their new baby, Jackson is often, and suspiciously, absent from the home, and Grace begins to fall into a spiral of postpartum psychosis.

    Die My Love is one of the most anticipated films of the year, not only because of its concept and cast, but because of Ramsay’s reputation as one of the most respected filmmakers of her generation. The film premiered at Cannes Film Festival this Spring and was nominated for the prestigious Palm D’Or award. The cast also includes cinematic icon Sissy Spacek and the brilliant LaKeith Stanfield, known for his roles in Sorry to Bother You and Get Out. Die My Love is Ramsay’s fifth feature film and promises to be just as compelling as her previous work.

    To celebrate Die My Love screening at Studio 74 this month, we are looking back on Lynne Ramsay’s impressive career.

    Die My Love still 1

    Starting in 1999, Ramsay released her first feature film Ratcatcher, which told the story of a young boy living in Glasgow in the 1970s. Upon its release, the film was met with critical acclaim and is now regarded a classic of British independent cinema. In 2024, Ratcatcher was re-released to mark its twenty-fifth anniversary and was screened at Studio 74. The screening was organised in collaboration with Reclaim the Frame, and included a special pre-film talk about Lynne Ramsay’s work, and how her experiences as a female director have shaped her work.

    Ratcatcher was followed by Morvern Callar in 2002, which is the story Morvern, portrayed by Samantha Morton, who publishes her dead boyfriend’s novel under her own name. The film is notable for its slow-pace and hypnotic style; techniques which Ramsay would build upon in her later works.

    Almost 10 years later in 2011, the release of We Need to Talk About Kevin solidified her reputation as masterful filmmaker. The film, like most of Ramsay’s work, deals with difficult themes with a dark tone. It sees Eva (played by Tilda Swinton), as she visits her son Kevin in prison, as she tries to understand a violent act they committed. The film deals with motherhood and postpartum depression, which are themes Ramsay revisits in Die My Love. Ramsay has always taken an unflinching look at difficult themes, taking an honest look at the more difficult side of parenthood. We Need to Talk About Kevin is widely regarded as a modern indie classic.

    We Need to Talk About Kevin was followed up by You Were Never Really Here in 2017. Written and directed by Ramsay, the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a traumatised veteran, who tries to rescue a kidnapped young girl. Joaquin Phoenix won the award for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his groundbreaking portrayal in the film, and Lynne Ramsay was awarded Best Screenplay.

    Die My Love 2

    Studio 74 is dedicated to spotlighting the work of female and gender minority filmmakers. We are excited to see the work of one of film’s most influential and inspiring women back on the big screen.

    Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love (15) will be screening at Studio 74 from Fri 21 Nov to Thu 04 Dec.

  3. Sun and Moon Window (1998) by Sir Terry Frost Renovated at Exeter Phoenix

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    Sir Terry Frost (RA)
    Sun and Moon Window, 1998
    Hand blown stained glass

    This extraordinary public artwork by the late Sir Terry Frost RA (1915 – 2003) depicts an abstracted seascape in which the water reflects images of both the sun and the moon. It was commissioned to coincide with the opening of Exeter Phoenix in 1999, redeveloped from the former Exeter & Devon Arts Centre with the support of the National Lottery.

    Sir Terry Frost RA sat in front of Sun and Moon Window in the studio, 1998
    Sir Terry Frost RA sat in front of Sun and Moon Window in the studio, 1998

    Sir Terry was a leading figure in 20th Century British abstract painting, whose work was renowned for its use of light, colour and shape and is held in many national and international museum collections. He was one of a trail-blazing group of mid 20th Century modern artists who were drawn to the extraordinary light and landscape of Cornwall, which continued to inspire his work throughout his life. Created towards the very end of his long career, the opportunity to translate his work into stained-glass added an unusual, possibly unique, medium to Frost’s extensive body of work.

    The Sun and Moon Window in Sir Terry Frost RA's studio with paper drawing behind
    The Sun and Moon Window in Sir Terry Frost RA's studio with paper drawing behind

    "I’ve seen wonderful stained glass in various places all over the world, from Le Corbusier’s chapel at Ronchamp to the Matisse Chapel in Vence, and the Cathedrals at Rouen and Reims...

    I wanted to get the colour so that it can be more than on the glass, but in the space, so people walk through the colour and feel it."  Terry Frost, 1998

    Matt Le Breton renovating the Sun and Moon Window at Exeter Phoenix, 2025
    Matt Le Breton renovating the Sun and Moon Window at Exeter Phoenix, 2025

    Located in the busy heart of our building, the window has formed a backdrop to thousands of creative, cultural and community events for over 25 years. In 2025, with the support of The Finnis Scott Foundation, it was renovated by local glass artist, Matt Le Breton, to ensure that this important piece of local and national art history is preserved as an important part of our ongoing story.

  4. Introducing our October 2025 Scratch Night Artists

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    For the first time, Exeter Phoenix are joining forces with Exeter Northcott for the October Scratch Night, which will be presented at Exeter Phoenix as part of Northcott’s Elevate Festival; an annual celebration of local artists and new work.

    Ahead of their performances on Mon 13 Oct, we are pleased to present the selected artists for our Scratch Night in partnership with Exeter Northcott!

    Tom Marshman – Glitches in Time (Oct 2025), a solo performance in development exploring queer aging, digital exclusion, and the shifting idea of community.

    Glitches in Time

    by Tom Marshman

    Age guidance: 16+ (semi-nudity, sexual content)

    Glitches in Time (working title) is a new solo performance in development exploring queer aging, digital exclusion, and the shifting idea of community. Through a mix of autobiographical storytelling, camp performance, and archival response, Tom opens up a conversation about desire, technology, and belonging.

    Drawing on personal experience, including the absurdity of being banned from Grindr, Tom navigates mythologies of aging, the politics of visibility, and the glitches that occur when queer bodies meet digital worlds.

    Tom Marshman is an artist based in Bristol who explores stories from the queer community, past, present, and future, often bringing people together through socially engaged projects such as tea parties. By sharing this project at its earliest stage, Tom hopes to spark a wider dialogue and create spaces where stories of aging and digital intimacy can be told, celebrated, and directly integrated into the show.

    Instagram

    Image credit: Paul Blakemore

    Alex Robins & Jon Nash – Bone Caves (Oct 2025), an immersive and multi-sensory audio experience inspired by the historic findings at Cattedown Bone Caves in Plymouth.

    Bone Caves

    by Alex Robins & Jon Nash

    Age guidance: 12+ | Content warning: this performance will take place in the dark

    ‘Bone Caves’ is an immersive and multi-sensory audio experience inspired by the historic findings at Cattedown Bone Caves in Plymouth; home to some of the oldest human remains found in the United Kingdom.

    You sink into a slowly darkening space as your current location and time fades, we guide you through a series of pitch black limestone caves scattered across the coast of Devon.

    Through binaural sound and sensory immersion techniques you are transported to vast karst caverns - starting with their formation and use as shelter by early-humans and other animals. Mammoths and sabretooths, rhinoceroses and giraffes, thousands upon thousands of wolves. Then their ‘discovery’ in the 19th century by quarry workers, leading to documentation by geologist Richard Nicholls Worth. He unearthed 15 human skeletons, dating up to 140,000 years old. Finally, the modern day, where the Bone Caves entrances are hidden amongst the confines of an industrial estate, beneath a city which doesn’t know they exist.

    The show explores hidden history, our ancestors, environmental and species changes, the psychology of darkness, mythologies of the underground and ideas around deep time.

    Instagram (Alex Robins) | Instagram (Jon Nash)

    Image credit: Torquay Museum

    Cut the Bull Theatre Company – Don’t Swim Here (There’s Sewage Water) (Oct 2025), a one-woman exploration of our, sometimes poisonous, relationship with the sea.

    Don’t Swim Here (There’s Sewage Water)

    by Cut the Bull Theatre Company

    Age guidance: 14+ (strong language, themes of and references to discrimination)

    Since the 18th Century, sea swimming has been recommended as the number 1 way to look after your health. It stimulates the brain, is good for the joints, and gives you a rush of endorphins. However, nowadays, you are playing roulette with whether you will emerge from the water unscathed by sewage poisoning.

    Don’t Swim Here (There’s Sewage Water) is a one-woman exploration of our, sometimes poisonous, relationship with the sea. Swapping sertraline for the sea, what begins as a pandemic hobby quickly becomes a battle with sewage, sexism, racism, and privatised water companies pocketing billions while polluting our coasts.

    This show invites us to look at our relationship with the ocean in a new way. Both funny and moving, it shines a light on the urgent need to protect our seas and keep them safe for everyone.

    Along the way, we’re thrown into absurd encounters with seals, swans, and Halloween hepatitis horrors, all underscored by a fierce critique of the systems poisoning our waters. A touching love letter to the ocean and a call to arms.

    Instagram

    Alex King (writer) and Awkward Pigeon Theatre Company (Performers and Director) – Just Be! (Oct 2025), a comedy play about new teacher James as he struggles to convey his passion for meditation to a reluctant group of students.

    Just Be!

    by Alex King (writer) and Awkward Pigeon Theatre Company (Performers and Director)

    Age guidance: 15+ (occasional mild swearing and references to grief, substance use and racism)

    Just Be! is a new comedy play written by Teignmouth based Alex King and performed by Exeter's own well renowned Awkward Pigeon Theatre Company. Told in real time over one evening, the show tells the story of new teacher James as he struggles to convey his passion for meditation to a reluctant group of students.

    Touching on themes of trauma, class, race, grief, disability, misinformation and eco-anxiety the show explores the power of groups and the complex nature of mindfulness. Navigating these issues as well as their own neuroses and interpersonal conflicts the group find themselves forming, storming and then storming a bit more. Coming 'highly commended' by the National Theatre this is a unique opportunity to witness new comedy writing covering serious themes with a light and ultimately hopeful twist.

    Instagram | Facebook

    Join us on Mon 13 Oct, 7.30pm for Scratch Night in collaboration with Exeter Northcott and sample the delights of these bold, fresh, new work in progress performances!

    Come along to the Workshop studio at Exeter Phoenix at 6.30pm on the night for a pre-Scratch gathering, Scratching the Itch: shaping platforms for sharing work-in-progress. Katy Danbury (Exeter Phoenix Performance Programmer & Scratch Night co-producer) and Sam Parker (Exeter Northcott Artist Development Producer) discuss how we might shape our collaborative Scratch Night offer in 2026. All people, ideas and feedback very welcome!

  5. Announcing a new UK-wide film season: Too Much: Melodrama on Film

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    Follow your emotions and get swept away by the big screen experience as Exeter Phoenix proudly delivers the new UK-wide season: Too Much: Melodrama on Film.

    Too Much celebrates films which champions emotional intensity over ‘good taste’. Exeter Phoenix presents films that are united by motherhood; Maternal Melodramas, which portray mothers as emotionally complex individuals, as victims, punished regardless of whether they sacrifice too much or too little. These films are designed to make you break down in tears, cause a scene, fall in love, feel something.

    In collaboration with a range of partners including Dolly’s Film Club, Italian Cultural Association and Daylight Collective, Exeter Phoenix will examine five films from the 1940s to the 2000s to reveal how cinema has both celebrated and slated mothers, while shaping our understanding of maternal identity within Melodrama.

    Exeter Phoenix will also be hosting the, a cinematic audio installation that invites participants to leave a message for a lost, imagined, or impossible love.

    Titles

    Installation

    Lost Love Hotline. The Heartbreak Archive
    Exeter Phoenix | Wed 08 - Fri 17 Oct

    Do you think about a love that's not yours anymore? Or one you imagined, hurting your own feelings? Or the one you never had the courage to reach out for? Perhaps it keeps you up at night and merges into your daydreams? Do you want to tell it to a stranger and release it? You can with Lost Love Hotline, we will hold them and keep them safe in our archive among other Lonelyhearts.

    Love Lost Hotline is a cinematic audio installation that invites participants to leave a message for a lost, imagined, or impossible love. Entering a dreamlike phone booth - they record their confession, becoming part of a growing archive of heartbreak and yearning. Messages range from raw truths to speculative fictions and aspirational musings.

    Leave a message for your heartbreak, lost, forgotten, or imagined.

    Follow the Lost Love Hotline on Instagram.

    Brought to you by Light After Dark with the support of Broadway Cinema and Near Now, in collaboration with Waste Studio.

    Programme Notes

    Maternal Melodramas - films that portray motherhood as emotionally complex and morally nuanced. Exeter Phoenix will examine six films from the 1940s to the 2000s to reveal how cinema has both celebrated and slated mothers, while shaping our understanding of, and relationship to, maternal identity on film.

    Films will be presented alongside insightful introductions, playful activity and national moments, which will engage audiences and help offer context across the season.

    Our titles will be delivered alongside our season partners who will assist in exploring how melodramas humanise maternal flaws, framing them as everyday struggles rather than evil acts.

    Season partners will include Dolly’s Film Club, University of Exeter, Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Italian Cultural Association Exeter, Daylight Collective and Light After Dark Film Festival.

    Dolly’s Film Club (Beyond Boundaries Alumni) has a proven mother-daughter following and will deliver a special screening of Steel Magnolias, a film big on emotion, which will respond to the multi-generational appeal and its ability to bring diverse audiences together “Crying at a movie with several hundred strangers … is something else entirely - it was a cathartic,” (Letterbox reviewer on watching Steel Magnolias in the cinema). This partnership will broaden audience reach and encourage “Laughter through tears” a favourite emotion of character Truvy, played by Dolly Parton.

    Brief Encounter, one of the first films to play in Studio 74 at Exeter Phoenix, will be presented as part of the cinema’s 10th Birthday celebrations. You can revisit our 2015 article about the film on our blog. Our partnership with Daylight Collective will expand on this film by offering a follow-up interactive, day-time screening aimed at parents and carers. Participants will be offered the opportunity to delve into Creative Journaling, which will explore Matrescence and M/Otherhood alongside themes of the season.

    Brief Encounter
    Brief Encounter | 1945

    Our long term partners, Italian Cultural Association Exeter will present a Mamma Roma with a special introduction. Curation and discovery will feature in the season, allowing audiences to interact in light touch and playful ways.

    Bill Douglas Cinema Museum will make their Curation Intern, Simran Kaur Sanghera, available to Exeter Phoenix and together we will invite them to respond to newly unlocked content from the museum archive and build a temporary exhibition drawing on the themes of the season.

    Exeter Phoenix will host Light After Dark’s touring phone booth, an installation which uses Douglas Sirk films as a jumping-off point for aesthetics and sentiment. Audiences will be able to generate content and interact with the archive of previous records which will be made available on Instagram. Furthermore the installation will amplify the work of Sirk and provide an additional talking point for our screening of All That Heaven Allows and enable audiences to interact across the nation.

    All That Heaven Allows
    All That Heaven Allows | 1955

    Partners and Collaborators

    Dolly's Film Club

    Dolly’s Film Club is a regular film event that screens cult films, forgotten classics and most of all films that celebrate the JOY of being an audience! Interactive elements, prizes and fancy dress is always a part of DFC screenings.

    Dolly is also a cat.

    Find out more on their website or follow them on Instagram.

    Daylight Collective

    Lead by Producer and Mother Lizzy Humber the Daylight Collective is a supportive network for creative parents & carers in the South West. Adult centred, children welcome at everything!

    Find out more on their website or follow them on Instagram.

    M/Others On The Mic

    A relaxed and revolutionary performance space with the m/other of all line-ups.

    Join local m/others and guest m/other artists for a daytime open mic with songs, poetry, comedy and stories. These are a relaxed and lively spaces for grown ups, but children are welcome and supported to be themselves, no shhing required. The artistic voices and stories of m/others are platformed, but everyone is welcome within the audience. Expect an uplifting, supportive and empowering hour (and a bit) – in the middle of the day! So whether you’re in need of a bit of culture, a community or just an early lunch break – you are welcome!

    Follow them on Instagram.

    Italian Cultural Association Exeter

    ICAE are a community roots organisation made up of Italians living in Devon and local people interested in Italian culture. Our aim is to keep Italian culture alive for the diaspora and also offer an insight into Italian culture to the community. Led by Valentina Todino who is a long time collaborator with Exeter Phoenix and the Cinema Programme.

    Find them on Facebook.

    Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

    The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum is home to the foremost collection on cinema and moving image history in Britain. We are both an accredited public museum and an academic research facility and we hold a collection of over 90,000 items.

    Find out more on their website or follow them on Instagram.

    Simran Kaur Sanghera (Curation Intern at Bill Douglas Museum)

    Simran Kaur Sanghera is an aspiring writer and curator currently in their final year at the University of Exeter. She works as a Gallery Assistant for TVF Media and are part of an internship scheme with the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, where she works through Cambridge Archival material as well as developing social media strategies, as a part of the scheme. Her creative work often centres on themes of grief, self-worth, and cultural identity, blending realism with tenderness to create stories that feel both intimate and universal.

    The season is supported by the BFI through National Lottery funding.

    Too Much Logo
    BFI Film Audience Network__POS MONO MAIN

  6. Baby Disco – FAQs

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    Baby Disco is a free dance and sensory play for children under 4 and their grown-ups on Thu 28 Aug, 10.30am at Exeter Phoenix.

    Join Sam Gilroy for a boogie with the babes starting with a warm up together, ready to dance along to our favourite club classics from the 90s to now, with fun nursery rhymes sprinkled in between. There will be scarves and instruments to play along with the disco bangers!

    See below for our frequently asked questions about the event or book your free tickets here >

  7. Announcing our 2025 Autumn Performance Programme

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    In anticipation of chillier days ahead we seek to provide comfort with our Autumn Performance Programme. Much-needed laughter, outrageous interactions, otherworldly experiences, and moments of nostalgia can be expected in this eclectic season of events. From left field comedy and cabaret, to experimental dance and physical theatre, extraordinary spoken word and new writing, delightfully eccentric family theatre, and everything in between.

    All exceptional, high quality work, and all available through our Pay What You Can ticket scheme, starting from as little as £8, or £5 for Students & Under 25s.

    Read on for some highlights from our Performance Programmer Katy or check out the full programme here.

    Autobiographical stories from South West based creatives are in abundance. Will Adamsdale – one of the leading forces behind Exeter’s thriving comedy scene –presents AI AI Oh (or how I wrote a hit sitcom with ChatGPT but we’re not talking now) following a hugely successful work-in-progress performance here last year.

    AI AI OH
    Tue 04 Nov | 7.30pm

    find out more
    Will Adamsdale stands, arms crossed, with a pink an orange filter over a green background.
    Jackie looking perplexed with a crystal and carrots around her head.

    Multiple poetry slam winner Jackie Juno – well-loved in the local spoken word scene – brings us Cancer Dancer: My Quirky Quest for a Cure, a multi-media show combining comedy, music, dance, film and a lot of carrots, to celebrate being alive!

    CANCER DANCER:
    MY QUIRKY QUEST FOR A CURE
    Sat 15 Nov | 6.30pm

    find out more

    Autumn wouldn’t feel complete without a little spookiness going on… Local playwright Jon Nash presents a ghost story based on true events that took place at the University of Exeter back in 2006. Delivered with a mischievous glint in his eye, Jon shares recordings of the students involved in the ill-fated experiment, and takes us through the history of paranormal investigations in Is Anybody There?

    IS ANYBODY THERE?
    Fri 26 Sep | 6.30pm

    find out more
    A man dressed in black with a witches hat sitting inside a witches cauldron with his head in hand smiling, whilst bright disco colour lights emanating from the cauldron around him, there is a spooky forest background.

    Neurodiverse comedian Edy Hurst takes us on a weird and heart-warming journey of self-discovery through the realms of the Lancashire Witch Trials and The Vengaboys in Edy Hurst’s Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches in the Countie of Himself.

    EDY HURST'S WONDERFULL DISCOVERIE OF WITCHES 
    Fri 03 Oct | 7pm

    find out more

    And Spork! return once again with their hugely popular annual Dead Poets Slam on Halloween, hosted by the gruesome twosome that is Edward Tripp & Chris White.

    SPORK! DEAD POETS SLAM
    Fri 31 Oct | 7pm

    find out more

    Early noughties coming-of-age stories hit hard: peppered with pop culture references, Hasbian brings to life Beth Watson’s real life teenage diary through quirky storytelling, hilarious animations, creative captioning, integrated audio description and candid queer confessions.

    HASBIAN
    Sat 18 Oct | 6.45pm

    find out more

    The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return – one of my personal highlights of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe – promises exceptionally slick new writing and high octane performances that transport us through the highs and lows of adolescent expectations, and firmly places working-class stories centre stage.

    THE CHAOS THAT HAS BEEN AND WILL NO DOUBT RETURN
    Tue 18 Nov | 7.30pm

    find out more

    During October half-term young people and their families can encounter a curious creature from another world in Airport Alien – a fantastical tale about the pursuit of happiness told through inventive visuals, puppetry, song and giggles galore!

    AIRPORT ALIEN
    Mon 27 Oct | 2pm | 5+

    find out more

    We are excited to be joining forces with Exeter Northcott for the October Scratch Night, which will be presented as part of their Elevate Festival; an annual celebration of local artists and new work. Experience the first sparks of four exciting work-in-progress performance pieces, from performance art, play extracts, storytelling, comedy, clowning, improv, dance and physical theatre to multidisciplinary work of any genre.

    SCRATCH NIGHT
    Mon 13 Oct | 7.30pm

    find out more

    Scratch Night Applications are now open for South West based artists to submit their ideas. Find out more and apply >

    The celebration of homegrown talent continues in November as our resident dance company South West Dance Hub Present An Evening of Dance & Collaboration, packed full of exciting new and developing dance works from Swift Dance Company and emerging regional performance makers.

    SOUTH WEST DANCE HUB PRESENT: AN EVENING OF DANCE & COLLABORATION
    Mon 10 Nov | 7pm

    find out more

    These are just a few of the exhilarating live performance offerings you can look forward to. Discover more here.

  8. Mental Health Awareness Week 2025

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    Image: Creative Minds: Devon Mental Health Alliance Exhibition at Bloom 2024 (Jorbein Photography)

    This time last year, we hosted our Bloom Festival, where we partnered with a wide range of local groups and organisations to promote good mental health and wellbeing through a day of free activities.

    This Mental Health Awareness Week (Mon 12 May - Sun 18 May), we are using our platform to raise awareness of local organisations that offer mental health support across Devon.

    Step One

    Step One offers a variety of support options across Devon, supporting people with mental health challenges, learning disabilities, and neurodiversity. The charity empowers people to achieve greater independence and mental wellbeing.

    Their service, BeWell@StepOne, offers group-based support through online workshops, in-person courses, support groups, activities and learning opportunities. All sessions are free and run by professional wellbeing practitioners, and the service is available to anyone over the age of 18 living in Devon.

    Find out more about BeWell@StepOne >

    Step One also recently launched their Wellbeing@Work service to help organisations create workplaces where everyone feels supported, valued and empowered. They provide practical strategies to support diverse wellbeing needs, promote healthier responses to stress, and foster a culture where everyone feels safe, valued, and included.

    Find out more about Wellbeing@Work >

    Woman in front of many of banner.

    Image: Step One at Bloom 2024 (Jorbein Photography)

    Devon Mind

    Devon Mind is an independent mental health charity affiliated with the national Mind association. They provide advice, information, and support to empower anyone living in Devon who may be experiencing a mental health problem. They also campaign to improve local support services, raise awareness, and promote the understanding of mental health across Devon.

    Find out more about Devon Mind >

    moMENtum

    moMNtum is a peer support group run by and for non-offending adult male survivors of child sexual abuse.

    Find out more about moMNtum >

    Focused Light

    Conceived and founded by Anthony Lyons, of moMNtum. Anthony Lyons writes:

    Focused Light: Using Art to Reconnect - a creative space dedicated to fostering well-being and artistic expression through analogue photography and other creative forms. We cater to a diverse clientele but primarily trauma-based groups, more specifically for male adults that have experienced historical sexual abuse. Offering a safe and supportive environment for exploration, healing, and community building.

    Find out more about Focused Light >

    For counsellors, psychotherapists, students, and those with a deep interest in mental health:

    Iron Mill College

    South West Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference 2025

    Iron Mill College is proud to present the South West Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference 2025.

    At the heart of counselling and psychotherapy lies the power of human connection. Yet, we find ourselves navigating a world increasingly shaped by AI and technology.

    How do we sustain relational depth in our practice amidst this digital shift?

    Join them on June 14th for a thought-provoking day of talks, workshops, discussion, and debate from our exciting line up of speakers, including Keynote: Dr Graham Music, Dr Ana Lund, Matthew Hill and James Barnes. Tickets: £75 - £100.

    Find out more about the conference >

    South West Counselling and Psychotherapy Conference 2025

  9. Bloom Poetry Competition 2021 Winners

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    We hosted the inaugural Bloom Poetry Competition as part of Bloom 2021: Exeter's Online Festival Of Mental Health Awareness . Submissions were invited on the theme of 'nature and the environment'. Poems could touch on themes of mental health and wellbeing, but there was no requirement to do so.

    We were bowled over by the quality of entries to the festival, and our judging panel had a difficult job whittling over 350 entries down to the shortlist below. You can read the winning poems and shortlisted entries below.

    Bloom Poetry Competition

    Winner:

    • 'Cherie' by Paul Warnes

    Highly Commended:

    • 'Tree In the Woods' by Toby Brooks
    • 'Outlines' by Tia Meraki
    • 'General Sherman' by Will Mortimore
    • 'Rhubarb Fields' by Joséphine Sourgnes

    Bloom Junior Poetry Competition (Under 18s)

    Winner:

    • 'Help Me Moon' by Safiya Tiotto-Smith

    Highly Commended:

    • 'Flowers' by Malilka John
    • 'Four Seasons In One Head' by Kitra Oldham
    • 'Treacle beaded fingertips' by Kizzy Rollings

    Bloom Poetry Competition: Overall Winner

    Cherie
    By Paul Warnes

    An Autumn storm stripped you.
    “Is tree dying?” my daughter asked.
    You were both very young.

    For seventeen years I have watched over you-
    watched your shadow in the streetlight
    edge further abroad,
    your branches stretch and brush
    the walls of another home.

    When you were small I cut the stake
    that tethered you,
    stripped away the creeping ivy
    that strangled you,
    tended the lacerations
    that scarred you,
    Raked the leaves that you shed like tears
    when the cold came.

    And in return, each Spring birthday,
    I swam in cherry blossom scent.

    I’ve watched you both grow and change
    but now she’s gone- uprooted.

    Bloom Poetry Competition: Highly Commended

    A Tree In The Woods
    By Toby Brooks

    I saw a tree today
    Under the white sky.

    It leant on another,
    With its roots exposed.

    It still grew though and
    Started to meander upwards.

    Years and years
    It must have been there.

    So,
    When did it fall?

    So,
    How did it fall?

    A gust of wind,
    Not an earthquake.

    A push from above,
    Not a shake from below.

    Now helped by another,
    Helped, not held.

    Not standing tall
    But standing.

    Countless trees around it,
    Rooted; straight and strong.

    Branches and leaves
    Melting on the floor.

    Covering the roots.
    Vast but down below.

    Vast but unseen.
    Vast and strong.

    When did mine fall?
    How did mine fall?

    A gust of wind.
    Unaimed, uncontrolled.

    A push from above,
    Not a shake from below.

    Not the first push
    And not the last.

    Outlines
    By Tia Meraki 

    I find myself peering into the bathroom mirror
    checking that I haven’t disappeared
    into shower mist, or the wall space around
    gone the way of the Indian cheetah and the Sumatran rhino in 2019
    of hugs and social gatherings in 2020
    knowing, or hoping, that the flesh and bones of us will embrace again
    knowing that the cheetahs and the rhinos are gone past hoping
    knowing that all else is uncertainty, weighted with potential
    alternate futures in layers of steam against glass
    whole ecosystems blurring around the edges
    fingertips tracing maps to hold onto my place in it all
    to hold onto the place of it all in me
    still here, still I, still us, still
    drinking in the rain and the sunlight
    and the darkness where we plant our seeds
    pausing to take stock, a physical inventory of self
    mole still nestled over eyebrow
    birthmark shadow under armpit
    windmill scar woven into smile
    strands of age-white merging into sun bleached waves
    a charcoal grey line etched across eyelids
    as if outlines might keep me here a little longer
    stop the ink of me bleeding into blank space
    stop me fading into smoke and dust and flames.

    General Sherman
    By Will Mortimore

    Before I die I’d like to see
    General Sherman, not the man, the tree
    Who lives in California where
    The trees compete with light and air,
    Few more so than the General, who
    Is forty times the height of you,
    And weighs more than a kiloton,
    But still, in counting, numbers one,
    Just like you and just like me,
    Just like an ant or bird or bee
    Or worm or beetle, shrub or twig,
    Tiny microbe or Guinea pig.

    We are all ones, not more or less,
    But, and here I must confess
    When picturing myself and he:
    Normal man and mighty tree,
    I cannot help but to create
    A hierarchy of the great
    And awesome works of nature that
    Imbue our cosmic habitat
    With diaphragm-contracting wonder,
    And surely all these things are under
    That woody, giant, massive freak
    Perched atop the pyramid peak,
    Who helps us lower levels see
    We aren’t so glorious as he.

    Not that we’re inconsequential,
    It’s just that we’re not wholly central,
    Which helps me, anyway, to know,
    I’m not the star of the whole show,
    And aches which feel, to me, acute,
    Are just a sapling, or a shoot.

    Before I die I’d like to see
    General Sherman, not the man, the tree.

    Rhubarb Fields
    By Joséphine Sourgnes

    Last week, life turned on a dime and everything fell apart
    Fell like a trapdoor or a guillotine
    One second I was there
    And the next, I rocketed away
    Getting smaller and smaller
    Waving to myself from the window
    Leaving me by the wayside
    My plans not just shattered but shredded
    Charred into a fine shower of ash blown back into my face
    There was nothing but blackness then
    A sunless gloom obscuring my inner and outer horizon
    I can speak now, or try to
    But I had no language then, no metaphor
    The whole world went dark and that was all there was

    At some point, a voice spoke
    As from across a long tunnel, or from the white mouth of a well
    A man asked how I was and I gave the usual answer
    He asked once, he asked twice,
    Like the questions were theatre knocks or fairy books words
    Repeat it and the spell is lifted, the play is over
    He asked a third time and I broke into sobs
    Going once, going twice, gone
    He listened to me cry and sniffle through the phone
    Ashamed but too tired to stop

    For hours, he was there, filling the silence
    When I couldn’t string a sentence together
    Busy as I was, nursing the burst seams of my hopes
    The gaping wound doing all the talking
    He said perhaps all wasn’t lost
    He couldn’t promise easy, or even safe
    But there might yet be a place for me somewhere
    In the country, between rhubarb fields and under telephone poles
    Like he knew I needed the details to root it in my mind
    To anchor myself back to the world
    A world where things grow and cables hum with messages
    Human voices reaching for each other

    Today I went for a jog and ran right through a rainbow
    A second before the sky darkened and the rain hit heavy as a fog
    Misting the road ahead
    I was soaked, my black running clothes stuck to my body
    Clinging like a diver’s suit
    Like the sleek, oily skin of a seal
    A creature made to sustain the cold of deep, dark blue waters
    Alone on the muddy path, I was nearly swimming home
    Through the downpour, through a disappointment as sour as grief
    My nostrils slowly filling with the scent of the rich, wet soil
    Dissipating the carrion smell that had been chocking me
    Returning life to the wasteland

    Soon, my rain-reddened limbs tingled numbly under the scalding shower
    My mind, miles away, floating with this image, this odd certainty
    Angels above grey fields,
    Strange watchful birds bending the telephone lines
    Their unaverted eyes bearing solemn witness
    Meaning not to break my fall but to soften it
    Their voices drowned in the thunder
    Chanting words of survival
    I thought of the kind man, of the rainbow arching into the storm
    I thought maybe, I could make it through
    I stepped out of the shower and tiptoed back to myself.

    Bloom Junior Poetry Competition Winner

    Help Me Moon

    Help me moon, listen close:
    People are starting to overdose
    On greed and hate and immoral things,
    The kind of sins the night-time brings.

    How do you do it? Keep the peace,
    When the sky hides all of evil’s caprice.
    I’ve tried to rule and punish their crimes,
    But sunburn only works sometimes.

    Help me moon, I need power;
    When was the last time you listened to a sunflower?
    No one listens, yet everyone bathes,
    In the golden glow of my angry face.

    Listen sun, listen close:
    You’re shouting in beams of light too verbose.
    The clouds are your words, and the sky is your page,
    Stop burning and yelling and taking centre stage.

    You asked how I do it – ignoring the sorrow,
    I take on my shift knowing there’s a tomorrow.
    Day shift, night shift – We work to get paid
    For the same damned cause of earning more days.

    We’re doing our bit; We keep them alive.
    Can’t you see? Without you they would die.
    A world without sun could never exist,
    You’ve got control; they lose theirs through fists.

    How did you get to be so wise?
    Why didn’t they make you the king of the skies?

    Because you are you, and I am me:
    You rule the land, I rule the sea.

    But how do you do it? Your craters held high,
    When everyone sleeps and ignores your sky.

    I govern the night, watch shadows unfold,
    Because a star once told me silver is rarer than gold.

    You’ve helped me moon, of this I am sure,
    You’ve cooled my temper and warmed my core.

    You deserve to feel strong; it’s how you keep me,
    Circling and circling without insanity.

    So you’ve helped me,

    You’ve helped me too,

    Thank you, sun,

    And thank you, moon.

     

    - By Safiya Tiotto-Smith

    Bloom Junior Poetry Competition: Highly Commended

    Flowers
    By Malilka John

    I’m so envious of flowers
    they’re beautiful
    shades of purple and yellow and pink and green
    they have a purpose
    to get ripped from their roots
    cut from their stems
    tied together
    and feel nothing

    the lavender on my window is pretty
    she wasn’t always
    she was wilting, dying
    but i gave her water
    and she bloomed
    beautiful shades of purple
    with small yellow centers
    branching out of her vase
    she was beautiful

    now she’s wilting again
    she has everything she needs
    water, sun, air
    but she’s dying

    one day i will smile in my mirror
    while happy music plays in the background
    light shining through the window
    onto my face
    glowing

    one day i will feel at home in my body
    loving the way it feels when i walk
    loving how wind feels through my hair
    confident, happy

    blooming

    Four Seasons In One Head
    By Kitra Oldham

    She sits and watches the world change.
    Constant rotation,
    As the seasons get rearranged,
    The deterioration of her planet and her nation,
    The summer now burning,
    The spring flowers permanent vacation,
    Winter below freezing as the planet is turning,
    Autumn leaves once vibrant,
    Now brown and dead.

    All these things trapped in her head,
    Some distant future she foretold,
    She tries to think about something else instead,
    But she fears what’s about to explode.

    'Treacle Beaded fingertips...'
    By Kizzy Rollings

    Treacle beaded fingertips lace
    honey puddle dreams
    finger stick of butter sunshine
    sprouting golden orbs as
    stormy whirlpools quake. Rupture
    sticky plum blood tears
    velvet sleeves and dew
    rubies bird limbed lacewing giant.

  10. Associate Artist: Ashley Thorpe

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    Associate Artist 2017

    After a number of years working for BBC Manchester during the Commonwealth games and subsequently London and Athens doing freelance illustration, Ashley returned to his Devon roots in 2005 and focused all his energies upon creating a series of animated short films using neglected aspects of English mythology as source material.

    So far there have been four ‘Penny dreadful’ animations: The Vampire 2002 (featuring a ‘blink and you miss it’ cameo by Derren Brown), Scayrecriw 2008 (winner of the Media Innovation Award 2009), The Screaming Skull 2008 (nominated Best UK Short film at Raindance 2009) and The Hairy Hands 2010 (A SWS / UK Film Council project featuring VO by Doug Bradley).

    His latest production – Borley Rectory (a Carrion Film / Glass Eye Pix NYC co-venture) starring Reece Shearsmith & Julian Sands will be released in 2017.

    In 2015 Ashley animated the opening Lalo Schifrin scored sequence for Neil Marshall’s (Game of Thrones, Westworld) and Axelle carolyn’s Saturn Award nominated Hollywood Horror feature Tales Of Halloween.

    Ashley is also an award nominated writer for horror periodical Fangoria Magazine providing numerous interviews, articles and cover art – often with a Brit-Horror theme. In 2012 he was nominated for a prestigious ‘Rondo Award’ for his interview with Hammer director Peter Sasdy and was nominated again in 2014 for his interview with John Hurt.

    2010 also saw a foray into radio – The Demon Huntsman – a half hour script written for Glass Eye Pix’s Tales From Beyond the Pale – a series of horror radio dramas which garnered rave reviews aswell as notice in such periodicals as The Wall Street Journal and Entertainment Weekly. His second radio script for the studio Dead Man’s Shoes was performed live in New York in October 2012.

    Since going freelance as an animator in 2009 Ashley has regularly taught animation and film making to a variety of age groups – from primary schools to colleges – and has close ties to Cinemagic Belfast, Into Film, Animated Exeter and the Exeter Phoenix.

    Website: carrionfilms.co.uk / ashthorpe.co.uk
    Twitter: @carrionscreamin 
    Info: info@carrionfilms.co.uk

  11. 2017 Associate Artist: 2.Times Do

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    Simon Belshaw and Ian Woodbridge met while volunteering at FabLab Devon. Sharing a common interest in the small, affordable and capable technology available today, they collaborated on several projects before setting up 2.Times Do CIC in January 2016.

    The company sits between the high tech of the digital world and the imagination of the creative.

    ‘We see the primary role of the company as to demystify technology in a fun and exciting way.’

    Rather than sticking to the dry and geeky version of technology found elsewhere, where exploration is considered a bad things, they encourage experimentation and use real world devices to produce an instant understanding of what is going on.

    Since starting, they have run a variety of demonstrations, events and courses for people of all ages. The workshops expand on the technology’s basic use in a fun way, for instance, the brief introductory air piano in which you build a simple electronic circuit, connect it to the Raspberry Pi computer and, before you know it, you’re moving your hand to play notes. From these simple introductions, 2.Times Do take people through to something as complicated as the build a robot day, where participants get to build and program a two-wheeled robot.

    In addition to the formal events, they also organise and run the Exeter Pi Jam in Exeter Central Library on the first Saturday of the month. This community orientated event is oven to all and providesa place to discover and explore any tech topic whilst focusing on the Raspberry Pi. With Raspberry Pis set up for you to have a go with, fun projects and a wealth of experience on hand it is the place to be for all things tech.

    This summer they are also running a series of three Music Hack events in the South West. At each of these events participants will be invited to build their own electronic musical instruments and decide on the format and content of a piece which will then be performed at the end of the session.

    Website: 2timesdo.co.uk
    Twitter: @2timesdo
    Facebook: /2timesdo
    Email: hello@2timesdo.co.uk 

  12. Associate Artist: Amanda Whittington

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    Still from Ion Drive Professor Moore feat. MILK67 music video

    Amanda Whittington is a producer director specialising in music, the arts and charity filmmaking. Her experience spans the BBC, Media Trust, Twofour and working for independent production companies and clients. Graduating from Camberwell College of Art and Design, she went on to train at BBC’s DVSolutions followed by working in production for the BBC2 Culture Show programme. Other career highlights include series producing Media Trust’s Untold Stories for the Community Channel and co-directing and producing EMI’s Burlesque Undressed feature film for worldwide cinema release. Versed in all aspects of production, she has worked with large teams, crews, celebrities and actors, and also independently as a self-shooter and editor.

    Recent projects include a music video for Professor Moore, film visuals for art exhibitions in the South West and a film for Yarner Wood Nature Reserve on Dartmoor.

    Amanda has recently been awarded Exeter Phoenix’s Documentary Short Commission, supported by Colourburn after battling it out in a live pitch at their Two Short Nights Film Festival with her proposal for Jab Jab, a revisit of the sound, experiences and relationships of the high energy British black fusion band that performed in the 1970s. The film will premiere at Two Short Nights Film Festival in 2015.

    Amanda is delighted to work with Exeter Phoenix as an Associate Artist as she thoroughly enjoys sharing her filmmaking knowledge to inspire others. She also works as a tutor with Exeter Phoenix, The Pauline Quirke Academy and Into Film.

    Email: whittingtonfilms@gmail.com
    Website: amandawhittington.wix.com/amandawhittington