The Story Collider comes to Manchester

28 Sep 2018

Invest in Success scheme brings Story Collider to Manchester for academics

The US-based performing arts group – The Story Collider – is to run its very successful workshop for academic and early-career researchers who want to develop their personal science stories and new skills to help them connect more effectively with audiences.

The workshop, which runs on 26 October from 12.30 to 5.00pm in the Dalton Suite, CTF Building, combines a lecture, discussion, reflective exercises and hands-on practice, facilitated by the Story Collider team. For more information and to sign-up click HERE.

Professor Sheena Cruickshank, Academic Lead for Public Engagement, who is supporting the project said: “As a public engagement practitioner myself I strongly believe that the use of storytelling and narrative techniques is an important skill for our researchers to be able to communicate their research more effectively to both academic and non-specialist audiences.

“Stories help connect people to subject matter that may at first seem abstract or irrelevant. Stories help to create meaning, context and shared experience – which is the ethos of high quality public engagement. Storytelling can also enhance the quality of our teaching and so I see this as an incredible opportunity for us to enhance our social responsibility in teaching and learning practices too.”

In addition, tickets are available to see a Story Collider performance at the Beer Hall in the Northern Quarter on the evening of 26 October.  Click HERE for more information and to reserve your place.

Every year, the group performs dozens of live shows all over the country, featuring all kinds of storytellers – researchers, doctors, and engineers of course, but also patients, poets, comedians, and more.

And on 6 December workshop attendees will have the opportunity to tell their own science stories when the Story Collider will return for a performance on the theme of Diversity at The Birdcage from 6.30 – 9.30 pm. Tickets to attend this event are free.

The Story Collider visit to Manchester is funded by the University’s ‘Investing in Success’ scheme, which is being co-ordinated by Dee-Ann Johnson, Suzanne Spicer, Kristin Trichler and Hawys Williams. To contact the co-ordinating team email srbmh@manchester.ac.uk.