Programme 2026-2027
Welcome
Our Stomping Grounds 4: Building Community, Art and Action is taking place over three different time satellites this year. showing just how much this wonderful landmark in the Stockton and Tees Valley Cultural Calender has grown since 2022 when it began. You can meet the Little Cog team developing the festival here.
Who runs the festival?
The Festival is directed by Little Cog with the support and guidance of Full Circle, ARC and the Festival Planning Group. Nicknamed the Pizza Planning Group (we don't plan pizzas, we eat them) this incredible group of 18 local learning disabled neurodivergent artists and community members meet to discuss scheduling, programming, and the finer details of commissions and a range of events, also coming up with new ideas each year. You can find out about previous festivals here.
Divided into time satellites across the year
Our 3 Satellites all fall into the theme of being 'Out There' as the people involved in previous festivals and disabled-led projects have overwhelmingly told us that they want to be visible in the cultural life of the area, not afraid to go out, and to be recognised for their artistic contribution and their sense of community. So it made sense to launch the 2026-27 Festival by being 'out there' in a record-breaking flash mob in Disability Pride month to kick off Satellite 1. After the Flash Mob in July, there is a meeting of Our Stomping Grounds Festival and SIRF in August as Full Circle have been commissioned to perform a brand new piece of work called The Market Inspector. The new piece is outdoor work, it is physical comedy and brings Full Circle's signature visual style to a daytime/daylight setting. It is an opportunity for the community we have built around our disabled-led work, to come and see Full Circle in the SIRF environment.
Satellite 2 is in October 2026 and is an exciting opportunity for Full Circle and other learning disabled artists to work alongside a community choir, community performance group and a professional cast for Vici Wreford-Sinnott's ambitious new play World's on Fire.
Satellite 3 is a mix of firm favourites such as our Stomp Cabaret and Take Up Space Conference with some newly added elements such as a music night. We are also delighted to have programmed new visiting theatre. The Festival Planning Group will be focussing on this programme later in the year and so there will be much more to share then. Stay tuned.
We'd love your help to promote this festival please
Please help us promote this work, and do come along to support the learning disabled neurodivergent artists from the Tees Valley.
And please come to what you can! See you there.
Our Stomping Grounds 4: Building Community, Art and Action is taking place over three different time satellites this year. showing just how much this wonderful landmark in the Stockton and Tees Valley Cultural Calender has grown since 2022 when it began. You can meet the Little Cog team developing the festival here.
Who runs the festival?
The Festival is directed by Little Cog with the support and guidance of Full Circle, ARC and the Festival Planning Group. Nicknamed the Pizza Planning Group (we don't plan pizzas, we eat them) this incredible group of 18 local learning disabled neurodivergent artists and community members meet to discuss scheduling, programming, and the finer details of commissions and a range of events, also coming up with new ideas each year. You can find out about previous festivals here.
Divided into time satellites across the year
Our 3 Satellites all fall into the theme of being 'Out There' as the people involved in previous festivals and disabled-led projects have overwhelmingly told us that they want to be visible in the cultural life of the area, not afraid to go out, and to be recognised for their artistic contribution and their sense of community. So it made sense to launch the 2026-27 Festival by being 'out there' in a record-breaking flash mob in Disability Pride month to kick off Satellite 1. After the Flash Mob in July, there is a meeting of Our Stomping Grounds Festival and SIRF in August as Full Circle have been commissioned to perform a brand new piece of work called The Market Inspector. The new piece is outdoor work, it is physical comedy and brings Full Circle's signature visual style to a daytime/daylight setting. It is an opportunity for the community we have built around our disabled-led work, to come and see Full Circle in the SIRF environment.
Satellite 2 is in October 2026 and is an exciting opportunity for Full Circle and other learning disabled artists to work alongside a community choir, community performance group and a professional cast for Vici Wreford-Sinnott's ambitious new play World's on Fire.
Satellite 3 is a mix of firm favourites such as our Stomp Cabaret and Take Up Space Conference with some newly added elements such as a music night. We are also delighted to have programmed new visiting theatre. The Festival Planning Group will be focussing on this programme later in the year and so there will be much more to share then. Stay tuned.
We'd love your help to promote this festival please
Please help us promote this work, and do come along to support the learning disabled neurodivergent artists from the Tees Valley.
And please come to what you can! See you there.
Satellite 1 - July/August 2026
Record-Breaking Flash Mob in Stockton
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The Record-Breaking Flash Mob marks ten years since Little Cog, ARC Stockton and participants from the acclaimed 45 Days to Find My Way project first surprised Stockton High Street with a flash mob called Surprise Stockton in 2016. Coming back to create a bigger event reflects the growth of Little Cog and Full Circle's work in the Tees Valley, creating a platform for disabled community members.
On this occasion, for the flash mob, we are joined by many groups of people from Stockton, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool after sending out lots of invitations and making public call outs. Full Circle choreographed the routine, and they, along with members of our team have all taught the groups various moves and formations so that they can do the whole flash mob routine, or the groups can take elements and build their own accessible routine from it. The groups were also provided with a short film of the whole routine to assist with learning. The Festival and community activity have been funded by Arts Council England. Audiences can find out more about the Record-Breaking Flash Mob here. If you need information in another accessible format please don't hesitate to get in touch [email protected] or through ARC on 01642 525199. |
The Market Inspector at SIRF
No need to book
You don't need a ticket for this show, it's free, but get there early to get a good spot and feel free to bring your picnic chairs along. The performance area for this show is The Shambles Car Park, on Stockton High Street. |
The Market Inspector is Our Stomping Grounds meets SIRF (Stockton International Riverside Festival) and the performance has been specially commissioned by SIRF for this year's festival. It's the 2nd SIRF commission Full Circle have had as a professional learning disabled-led ensemble.
"This new work centres on the Market Inspector, a pompous perfectionist on a mission to launch his brand new addition to the market in the town. Watch as his pretensions for a pop-up artisan quarter spiral out of control as a group of mischief makers move in on his patch" The piece is physical comedy, outdoor performance, starting with a short lively promenade down a section of the High Street and stopping to perform at The Shambles car Park on Stockton High Street. Led by the Market Inspector, the troupe wear larger than life, stylised colourful costumes created by designer Amy Jones. The Inspector has his assistant on a trike and trailer, bringing everything he needs for the Grand Opening. Performance influences are clown and mask comedy, though the performers will not be wearing either red noses or masks, providing lots of laugh out loud moments. Devised and performed by learning disabled actors from Full Circle Theatre Ensemble it is a hilarious look at debunking pomposity and pretension. As a disabled-led theatre company, Little Cog ensures that the magic of performance is available to all. Full Circle is an ensemble of learning disabled actors who are dedicated to their craft, and to building community around their work. |
Satellite 2 - October 2026
World's on Fire - a brand new community play
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World’s on Fire is a journey into what can happen when a town comes together to face global challenges through local strength. It is an ambitious new production written and directed by the award-winning Vici Wreford-Sinnott whose work tours nationally and has been commissioned by the BBC for TV.
Real local stories are woven together and shared by a cast of community performers and professional actors, and through original songs from the newly formed World’s on Fire Choir, to highlight Stockton as a place lit with passion, action and hope. Vici is spending time with Stockton and Tees Valley residents and local environmental groups, with whom the production is co-created and performed. ‘Local people often don’t realise the significance of what they do and the change they have the power to bring about.’ Vici Wreford-Sinnott |
World’s on Fire is all about community, it’s about keeping your heads up when the world tries to say you’re rubbish, it’s about things people love, it’s about beauty all around us, it’s about remembering to breathe, it’s about friendship, it’s about this town.
It’s about you, it’s about me.
The production was commissioned by communities in Stockton On Tees and aims to be as accessible as possible so please check out all the access info below and Vici knew she wanted to involve communities in all aspects of the production. She also wanted it to be an opportunity for Full Circle, and some of our local learning disabled performers, to work in a different way, alongside a mixed cast and with a mix of community and professional performers.
Access: World’s On Fire
BSL, stage captions, audio described introduction, touch tour. Please get in touch with ARC box office if you would like to book a seat with plenty of space around you. Please feel free to come and go if you need the loo or need to go to the quiet room. The show contains a very large cast including a powerful choir, and a movement chorus. Some of the set is on wheels and moves around the stage at times. There is music, sound effects and lighting effects including moving colourful lights – there are no flashing lights or strobe lighting.
Closer to the performance we will be provide a timetabled sound map of the show so please do get in touch for that or if you have any other access queries. If you’re based in Teesside and you'd like to get involved in performing in either the World’s on Fire Choir or the Performance Group contact [email protected]
Funded by Arts Council England.
It’s about you, it’s about me.
The production was commissioned by communities in Stockton On Tees and aims to be as accessible as possible so please check out all the access info below and Vici knew she wanted to involve communities in all aspects of the production. She also wanted it to be an opportunity for Full Circle, and some of our local learning disabled performers, to work in a different way, alongside a mixed cast and with a mix of community and professional performers.
Access: World’s On Fire
BSL, stage captions, audio described introduction, touch tour. Please get in touch with ARC box office if you would like to book a seat with plenty of space around you. Please feel free to come and go if you need the loo or need to go to the quiet room. The show contains a very large cast including a powerful choir, and a movement chorus. Some of the set is on wheels and moves around the stage at times. There is music, sound effects and lighting effects including moving colourful lights – there are no flashing lights or strobe lighting.
Closer to the performance we will be provide a timetabled sound map of the show so please do get in touch for that or if you have any other access queries. If you’re based in Teesside and you'd like to get involved in performing in either the World’s on Fire Choir or the Performance Group contact [email protected]
Funded by Arts Council England.
Satellite 3 - March 2027
A four day Festival with music, film, cabaret, theatre, dance and a conference for learning disabled artists will complete the festival.
Our Festival Planning Group is made up of 18 learning disabled and neurodivergent artists and community members who meet to discuss the planning and the support of each activity. They consider new ideas, and suggest ways to bring new slants to existing activities. At the upcoming Record-Breaking Flash Mob the Planning Group are either dancing with groups they are members of, or will be part of the marshals team guiding people safely to the site. The group have been busy looking at the schedule for Satellite 3 of the Festival, which will see us deliver all the firm favourites plus some new surprise extras to be announced once we get everything confirmed and in place. When we're ready to make our announcement, we'll be sure to share it far and wide.
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