Nibbles is all about bite-sized bursts of creativity, small but mighty pop-up events that bring theatre, art, music, and performance right into the heart of communities across Sunderland and South Tyneside.

Nibbles are small-scale commissions where creatives were matched with local organisations and/or community groups to create and test out new ideas for performances in their communities. Each commission was an opportunity to explore themes relevant to a local area, schools or groups, using the expertise of artists and performers to develop and trial these early-stage ideas together.

Outcomes of Nibbles 2025 - 2026

Across the six artist-led commissions in 2025–26, Nibbles has engaged more than 430 participants through workshops, performances, screenings and sharing events. Projects have included songwriting with allotment communities, spoken word with Sunderland’s hidden poets, theatre and scriptwriting with people rebuilding their lives, LGBTQ+ storytelling, addiction recovery conversations, and wellbeing-focused film work inspired by friendship and mental health.

Highlights include:

• 10 songwriting workshops and a celebration event involving 138 participants

• Poetry Soup workshops engaging 48 participants

• Scriptwriting and performance activity reaching 94 participants

• Recovery and lived-experience theatre work involving 75 participants

• Queer family storytelling sessions with 46 participants

• Mental health and friendship film activity with 38 participants

Participant feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with people describing the programme as welcoming, empowering and life-affirming. Many said taking part helped them build confidence, express themselves creatively and feel part of a supportive community. Others shared that the sessions improved wellbeing, reduced feelings of isolation and gave them the confidence to try something new.

Comments included: “I felt listened to and valued,” “It brought people together,” and “I’ve discovered a confidence I didn’t know I had.”

Artists involved in the programme also praised the impact of Nibbles, highlighting the openness, honesty and creativity of participants. Several spoke about how rewarding it was to co-create work rooted in real experiences and local stories, and valued the opportunity to build lasting relationships with communities. Artists described the commissions as deeply inspiring, collaborative and creatively energising, with one noting that “the generosity of participants shaped the whole process,” and another saying “these projects remind us how powerful art can be when it starts with people.”

We would like to thank all our partners and venues who took part and supported these first set of Nibbles Commissions:

• Hospitality and Hope, South Tyneside

• WHIST (Women’s Health In South Tyneside)

• Waythrough, South Tyneside

• Game of II Halves, Sunderland

• Recovery College, Sunderland

• Sunderland Community Soup Kitchen

• Headlight, Sunderland

• The Red Hackle, South Tyneside

• Seachange Cafe South Tyneside

• Customs House South Tyneside