OUR WORKIdentity & Culture

Beyond Wigan Pier

When a town stopped being written about — and started writing back.

THE STORY

“From Orwell's Wigan to Wigan's own voice”

WHAT HAPPENED

For decades, Wigan was defined by someone else's narrative. In 2018, that changed.

Beyond Wigan Pier brought over 1,000 people together to watch a brand-new musical written, produced and performed by local people — just yards from the original Wigan Pier. With Richard Blair, son of George Orwell, narrating, the production didn't reject the past — it responded to it.

This wasn't just theatre. It was reclamation.

Children, families and community members stepped onto a major stage and told a different story: one of creativity, pride and possibility. A story that belonged to them.

This is where Pianos, Pies and Pirouettes began to define its role — not just delivering arts activity, but helping communities take ownership of their identity.

“We didn't rewrite Orwell — we answered him.”

WHY IT MATTERS

This is bigger than a performance.

PPP is not simply delivering arts activity — it helps working-class communities move from being the subject of someone else's narrative to becoming the author of their own.

IMPACT