1001 Stories

About

1001 Stories was a mass-participation project that sat at the heart of Leeds’ 2023 Year of Culture. A collaboration between The Performance Ensemble, Leeds Playhouse, LEEDS 2023, Leeds Museums and Galleries and Leeds Older People’s Forum, the joint-project put the voices, histories and stories of older people centre-stage by gathering 1001 stories from those aged 60 and over and creating new artistic work based on these stories.

We believe that everybody is creative and has a story to tell, this could be anything from a funny anecdote, to a milestone memory. 

Our aim has been to present a vast range of experiences from the people of Leeds and to demonstrate that the stories of older people have cultural value – whether that is by making others laugh, think, feel or simply engage with a story that is different from their own.

Anyone over the age of 60 with a connection to Leeds was eligible to take part; whether born here, previously lived or worked here, or called Leeds home. You can go to ‘The Stories So Far’ in the menu at the top of this page to view examples of first tales submitted by the people of Leeds or explore the full archive at 1001stories.org.uk.

The 1001 Stories Project closed with our Arts, Ageing and Activism Symposium on 9th October 2023. 

If you need further assistance in in relation to a story you submitted, or would like to discuss the project with our team, you can contact us directly using the details below.

Email: info@theperformanceensemble.com

Call or message: 07846 575377