Restoke rehearsal images released: Bernadette and other Teenage Folk Tales

One of the UK's leading community performance makers are breaking new ground this month by creating a show entirely with teenagers for the first time.

Restoke's new show, Bernadette and Other Teenage Folk Tales, is a surreal exploration of adolescence, folklore, and the stories we tell to survive the dark corners of growing up. It coincides with a national conversation about teenagers and their access to creativity, with the launch of both the Government's new National Youth Strategy and the Arts and Minds Campaign to restore the teaching of arts subjects in schools.

The show has been made with a group of 13 teenagers from across Stoke-on-Trent - most of whom have never performed on stage before. It combines spoken word, movement, live music and animation to create new worlds where the boundaries between myth and reality blur.

Written by Florence Espeut-Nickless, Bernadette and Other Teenage Folk Tales invites the audience to step into a world where folklore is not just fantasy, but a necessity in the face of an uncertain future. The show includes three original stories, which will be performed immersively around an immersive set design by April Dalton, original music composed by Paul Rogerson and live music from the company. 

The production is a collaboration between Stoke-on-Trent-based arts organisation Restoke, a team of independent creatives from across the UK, and the talented young people of the Power Project Company - a new company of teenagers, aged 13–17 from Stoke-on-Trent/North Staffordshire. 

Clare Reynolds, Artistic Director, says: “A year ago, we began working with teenagers in Stoke-on-Trent to explore their experiences and what they might want to create a show about. We heard a lot about escaping reality and witnessed the joy of seeing them immerse themselves in their imaginations—both independently and collectively. At a time of mounting pressure on teenagers and cuts to creativity in schools, we know that the arts provides a vital escape, a new perspective, and a release valve for those pressures. Bernadette and Other Teenager Folk Tales is an immersive journey through the imaginations of 13 young people, where the challenges of adolescence are woven into myths”

Bernadette and Other Teenage Folk Tales will run for five performances only, from March 20–23, 2025, at Fenton Town Hall, Stoke-on-Trent. Each performance lasts one hour, and the immersive nature of the show means that the audience will be invited to move around the space as the tales unfold. Suitable for audiences aged 12 and over.

Tickets are available now on Eventbrite, with limited availability for each performance. Early booking is highly recommended.

Find out more at: restoke.org.uk/bernadette.