From Fragment to Fiction

In partnership with the Commonweal Collection

This autumn, Theatre in the Mill and the Commonweal Collection will co-host From Fragment to Fiction — a four-session creative journey guiding a small group from archival fragment to new story.

Kicked off by playwright Sudha Bhuchar, the series begins with a “Stimulus” masterclass exploring displacement and non-violent resistance through excerpts from her plays. Participants will then dive into the Collection, uncovering forgotten histories and creating hybrid works that reassemble fractured stories into new forms for social change. Sudha Bhuchar is currently Artist-in-Residence at Theatre in the Mill, co-commissioned by Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Workshops run Wednesdays, 12–3pm:

• 12 Nov 2025 – Stimulus: live reading + Q&A with Sudha Bhuchar; “fragment” writing game
• 19 Nov 2025 – Research: guided deep dives into the Commonweal Collection
• 03 Dec 2025 – New Work: zine-making and transmedia storytelling lab
• 10 Dec 2025 – Performance: public showcase and dialogue circle at Theatre in the Mill

Together, we’ll ask: Whose peace? Whose narrative? And how can the gaps, silences, and resistances within peace archives become material for new creative work?

About the Commonweal Collection:

Commonweal is a unique collection of over 14,000 books, pamphlets, and journals on social change and activism, peace and disarmament, the climate crisis and green movement, nonviolent philosophy and practice, human rights, anti-racism, and identity. Housed within the JB Priestley Library at the University of Bradford (BD7 1DP), the Collection is open to the public and continues to inspire new generations of activists, artists, and researchers.

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