Streets of Bedford reimagined
In a three-day event, people will get to tell the stories of their local streets
Desire paths will be bringing a dose of positivity to Bedford this weekend.
Hosted by the theatre company Third Angel, the event will take place in Harpur Square from 3rd-5th September, people taking part will get the chance to tell the stories of their local streets.
Third Angel is drawing a map of Bedford and and will be championing the creativity of the audience, who can tell the actors what they would call the streets if it was up to them.
Unearthing the town's voices
The idea is to unlock residents’ memory banks and unearth tales of different towns. The company explore different perspectives and say that many of the hypothetical new street names are often very personal and could reflect the name of someone important who they met in the area, or something that reminds them of an important event. It could even be looking into the future and be the name of a hope or dream they have.
Artistic director of the company Alex Kelly said:
“People like to choose a street that is particularly significant to them, and so quite often in asking people to rename a street we get told a story about their relationship to to their town as well. It's partly about nostalgia, but it's also about the future and it's quite optimistic."
The dialogue between the audience and performers also seems to be central to the event. Kelly added:
"The show is a way of generating conversations with the public and letting people have their say."
Inspiring a conversation
The event also brings a flavour of civic undertones; prompting discussions in different parts of the UK about the origins of their own street names and who holds the power to rename the places that people know and love. Kelly said:
"We really want to hear those stories people have got about where they live. And underneath all of that, it's asking questions like; who owns public spaces? Who owns the streets? Who gets to decide what the streets we live on get named after?"
The company wanted to bring the idea to Bedford to explore new avenues after already succeeding in their mission to get residents thinking in areas like Edinburgh, Slough, Newcastle and Sheffield.
Streets in other cites have been renamed things like: 'hot coffee street', 'northern connections', 'riot road' and 'happiness gate.'
Reflecting on previous reactions to their event, Kelly noted:
"I remember one person that was kind of looking around. He goes; it's too big! I can't... there's too many important things, I can't do it! And then he came back about 10 minutes later and went.. yeah I know now. Sort out my love life lane."