Roots.
ROOTS. They keep us steady. They tie us down. They stop us from falling. They keep us anchored in one place. They make us aware of our surroundings. They limit our view. They teach us about our past.
It’s 2025 — another year, another series of BIG events. It’s relentless, and our Unique Community wants to understand how we got here. This year, we aim to dig deep into the ROOTS of the issues.
All the groups across our service will explore the theme ROOTS from different perspectives. Like a jigsaw puzzle of performance, these pieces will come together to form a whole picture, shedding light on what we think is truly going on.
OUTREACH / MAKE SPACE
Provocation: What is life beyond our roots?
Make Space participants will present their vision of Utopia and the art that defines its culture. Paintings and objects will be exhibited like archaeological finds. Music ‘unearthed from Utopia’ will be performed alongside dramatic reenactments of key historical events. The finale will show a Utopian leaving to aid the people of ‘Earth,’ making the brave decision to return to their ROOTS.
UNIQUE YOUTH THEATRE / ACTORS STUDIO - YOUNGER YOUTH THEATRE
Provocation: What can our roots teach us about the past, and how can we use this to shape our future?
Younger Youth Theatre will explore how stories from the past can inspire bravery when we feel afraid. The show will celebrate intergenerational storytelling, encouraging the next generation to find strength in their ROOTS to stand up for what’s right, despite fear.
UNIQUE YOUTH THEATRE / ACTORS STUDIO - YOUTH THEATRE
Provocation: What if the truth about our roots is distorted?
Set on an imaginary island, Youth Theatre will explore the stories we choose to tell about our history. A dark comedy that exposes how facts can be manipulated and altered.
On a tranquil island, a happy community lives in peace, isolated from the rest of the world. But when a camera crew arrives to make a documentary about their lives, their peace is disrupted. The foreign visitors lead them to question everything about their ROOTS as they uncover dark secrets hidden beneath the surface.
UNIQUE YOUTH THEATRE / DANCE COMPANY
Provocation: What do the roots of our lives look like?
The Dance Company will perform a movement piece illustrating where their ROOTS lie. Starting with choreography at Wembley Park Station, the tube will transport them to different places that shape the roots of who they are. A fusion of physical theatre, dance, and spoken word will guide the audience on a journey with them.
We hope to honour the unique passions and heritages of all our members and find unity in who we are and the values we share.
UNIQUE YOUTH THEATRE / YOUNG COMPANY
Provocation: What happens when our roots get in the way of forming a new life?
Every day, we make choices — from the people we interact with to the vocations we pursue. But how much freedom do we really have in our own lives when every action feels like the next page in a story that began generations before us? The Young Company will explore whether the pressure to hold on to our ROOTS allows us to forge our own paths without losing everything we know.
THE STORK PROJECT / THEATRE COMPANY (Harrow)
Provocation: How do your roots affect your day-to-day life?
Our Harrow theatre company will continue developing last year’s production of Still Here, bringing new ideas, more songs, and renewed energy to this vital story. Still Here is an intergenerational musical following the true stories of Ukrainian migrants during a time of war.
The story follows Max, an activist seeking to understand why Ukrainian migrants find themselves in a waiting room when there is still so much to do. Life must carry on, but the ROOTS of their reality are present every second of every day. And this is not the only waiting room; there are more. Max embarks on a journey to understand what it feels like to exist at the mercy of forces beyond one’s control, drawing inspiration from those living through it in real-time.
“But we are safe here in our waiting room
We’re stronger for that and that strength must be used
To help those whose strength is weakened
All that these little actions
In our waiting room
Will give good people the win”
THE STORK PROJECT / THEATRE COMPANY (Wembley)
Provocation: How can we plant new roots?
The group at the Holiday Inn in Wembley will explore the complexities of planting new ROOTS in a place where it’s hard to stay. Starting life anew is never easy, and much of it is so serious that it makes us laugh — hysterically, until it’s serious again. Set in the Home Office, the show will explore the contrasting emotions that life as a migrant brings.
THE STORK PROJECT / MOTHER TONGUE
Provocation: How can we honour the best of our roots?
Mother Tongue is an oral history project dedicated to listening to and sharing the stories of migrants from Eastern European countries in Harrow. Over the next two years, we will bring together individuals who have arrived in the UK in recent decades to understand how they navigated their new surroundings. Together, we’ll explore the ROOTS they carried with them, which ones they had to let go of, and the impact of that journey. In collaboration with artists from Ukraine, these stories will be transformed into an original musical that seeks to share the migrant experience with a broader audience.
