From teacup stories to tiny discos: The Mighty Booth so far

Hello, Melanie here, Artistic Director of The Six Twenty.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been back in Trimdon and Blackhall, sharing The Mighty Booth with the communities that helped spark it in the first place. It’s been utterly joyous.

There’s something really special about bringing an idea back into the spaces where it first began. Especially when that idea has grown out of people’s stories, hobbies, passions and brilliant imaginations.

If you haven’t come across The Mighty Booth yet, it’s grown out of our earlier work with Men’s Cree groups in Durham as part of No More Nowt’s Untold Stories programme. It’s all about fandom, identity, the things people love, and the things that bring you joy.

The idea for the Booth came directly from those conversations. A move away from a traditional theatre show into something smaller, more intimate and closer to people’s everyday lives. Something that can pop up. Something that can time travel a bit.

If you look closely, you might spot some of those roots in the design. There are echoes of pigeon crees, and those old listening booths you’d find in record shops… remember those? Little spaces, full of stories, where you’d step inside and discover something new.

Now we’re building on those ideas with communities across County Durham.

The Mighty Booth is a tiny, magical space in progress. Part theatre experience, part listening booth, part exhibition, part living archive. We’ve been running hands-on sessions where people can make things, try things out, have a chat, have a laugh, and help shape what it becomes.

We’re also back working with the brilliant designer Alastair Flindall, from Neck of the Woods, who helped bring the early versions of the Booth to life. It feels really special to be continuing that journey together, and working alongside people to turn their ideas into something real and hopefully a little bit magical.

Some people have been helping us think about how the Booth looks and works. Others have been sharing stories, memories and objects that might live inside it. And a lot of the best bits have happened in the usual way… over cups of tea, lots of cake, and making things side-by-side.

We’ve had all sorts of magical suggestions already. Teacup stories from the Crafty Witches. Meccano-style signage. A bowls green or proggy-style welcome mat. A curtain or collage-style entrance. And my personal favourite so far, the smallest line-dancing disco in the world. Thank you Blackhall!

There’s also been lots of thinking about how the Booth might grow and change over time. Things that clip on, fold out, reveal surprises. Bits that evolve as it travels. Someone suggested adding a big roll of paper to the side so people can leave their names, doodles and little fragments of stories as they pass through, which I absolutely love.

It feels like we’ve only just scratched the surface of what’s possible with this idea of object alchemy. Taking everyday things and turning them (mainly smashing them), into something new. Seats made out of LPs. Hosepipes becoming something else entirely. Things you recognise, but not quite as you remember them. More on our object alchemy soon!

One of the best parts of the sessions has been sharing where the Booth came from in the first place. Talking about pigeon crees, record shop listening booths, hobbies, collections, sheds, social clubs, all those small worlds people build around the things they love. It’s opened up conversations about music, memory, analogue tech, belonging and place, and all of that is starting to shape what the experience might feel like.

We’re also beginning to get a sense of The Caretaker. The person who might welcome you in, guide you through and look after the stories inside.

Alongside all the design ideas, we’ve gathered loads of new stories too. Stories about line dancing and tai chi. About crafting, music, memory, local life. All of it is helping us figure out not just what the Booth looks like, but what it might feel like to step inside.

As the project grows, it feels really important that its roots stay visible, especially the men’s stories and fandoms that first sparked the idea. At the same time, it’s exciting to feel it opening out, making space for more voices, more ages, more ways in.

We’re also really grateful to No More Nowt for backing this next stage and helping make it possible. Their support, alongside our recent Arts Council funding, means this first part of the process can continue throughout 2026 as we keep building, testing, listening and seeing what The Mighty Booth might become.

This really is just the beginning.

If you’d like to follow the process, find out more, or get involved, drop us a message. We’d genuinely love to hear from you. Wherever you’re from, but especially if you’re from County Durham or have a story, hobby or memory connected to the area.

Tea and cake very much welcome.