Belgrade Theatre Launches A STITCH IN TIME

The Belgrade Theatre is hosting A Stitch in Time, a display which will appear in the windows of the Belgrade from Tues 23 Feb - Tues 9 Mar. Niki Doughty Lee, Group Co-Ordinator of NeedleCraft for Wellbeing, and Frankie Robson, Sessional Facilitator for Underground Lights Community Theatre, have come together to unite their visions.

Niki's wellness group NeedleCraft for Wellbeing holds weekly sessions at the Belgrade, where members of the community come to socialise whilst creating knitted crafts. They haven't been able to meet during lockdown, so this project is the perfect opportunity for them to carry on working towards a shared goal.

Underground Lights Community Theatre is one of the Belgrade Theatre's Springboard companies. The Belgrade is proud to nurture new talent, providing a space for these companies to run workshops, rehearse, and perform.

Underground Lights' workshops are run for and by adults experiencing social disadvantage, homelessness or mental health issues in Coventry and Warwickshire. Their sessions have not been able to take place in person during lockdown, but they have continued their work online.

A Stitch in Time will be an immersive display which will feature different stories and themes told through poetry from members of Underground Lights accompanied by knitted crafts from NeedleCraft for Wellbeing participants. Reflecting lockdown as a screenshot in time, the display will take a sincere look into the experiences of members of both groups.

A sneak peek at what NeedleCraft for Wellbeing have already created ahead of the display's debut includes knitted emoji faces and flowers.

Niki Doughty Lee, Group Co-Ordinator for Needlecraft for Wellbeing, said: "Our NeedleCraft for Wellbeing, Craft On! group, has welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Underground Lights on this project. The Craft On! group usually meets to help alleviate social isolation whilst engaging in mindful craft activity. We have been unable to meet face to face during lockdown but this project has enabled a group of people to stay connected and create something worthwhile using a range of different skills."

Frankie Robson, Sessional Facilitator for Underground Lights, said: "A Stitch in Time is a really interesting and cool concept and I'm very excited to see how people resonate with the display. Giving the artists free rein to knit what the poetry made them feel has created some really interesting art which is not to be missed!"

QR codes will be available to scan at the display. One will allow users to donate to NeedleCraft for Wellbeing and Underground Lights, and the other will allow users to find out more information on the artists behind the poetry and knitted crafts.

A Stitch in Time will be on display in the windows of the Belgrade from Tues 23 Feb - Tues 9 March.