Living Newspapers
Stories from the front line of contemporary life
Living Newspapers are participatory documentary dramas that combine storytelling, journalism, digital technology and community participation to explore the issues shaping people's lives today.
Inspired by the historic Living Newspaper movement of the 1930s, which used theatre to investigate social and political issues, C&T has reimagined the form for the digital age. Our Living Newspapers bring together research, lived experience, media literacy and creative participation, enabling communities to investigate complex topics and create their own responses through performance, digital storytelling and collaborative enquiry.
At their heart, Living Newspapers are a form of Story System. Participants become researchers, reporters, editors and storytellers, gathering information, exploring multiple perspectives and creating narratives that help audiences engage critically with contemporary issues.
The approach has been used in schools, community settings and international projects, supporting participants to develop skills in communication, critical thinking, collaboration and digital literacy. By combining drama with research and media analysis, Living Newspapers encourage participants to question sources, explore evidence and understand how stories are constructed and communicated.
This makes the methodology particularly relevant in an age of misinformation, social media and rapidly changing information environments. Participants do not simply consume information. They learn to interrogate it, interpret it and create it.
Living Newspapers have been used in a wide range of contexts, including work with schools in New York City and community projects in Korogocho, one of Nairobi's largest informal settlements. In these settings, participants explored issues affecting their communities and developed creative responses that amplified local voices and experiences. The methodology creates opportunities for dialogue across cultural, social and geographical boundaries while supporting participants to become active contributors to public conversations.
The form is particularly effective when addressing themes of social justice, citizenship, identity, inequality, community change and democratic participation. By combining documentary research with creative practice, Living Newspapers create spaces where participants can explore difficult questions, challenge assumptions and imagine alternative futures.
Today, Living Newspapers continue to evolve through digital technologies and the Prospero platform, enabling participants to gather evidence, share stories, contribute media and collaborate across locations. The result is a contemporary form of documentary theatre that combines creativity, critical enquiry and participation, helping people make sense of the world while empowering them to play a role in shaping it.
Living Newspapers demonstrate how storytelling can become a tool not only for expression, but for understanding, dialogue and social change.
Project Overview
Status
Ongoing Methodology
Project Type
Documentary Theatre • Digital Literacy • Participatory Story System
Locations
United Kingdom • New York City • Nairobi
Partners
Schools • Community Organisations • Cultural Partners
Themes
Digital Literacy • Media Literacy • Social Justice • Citizenship • Community Voice • Civic Participation
Participants
Young People • Educators • Community Groups
Creative Outputs
Performance • Digital Stories • Research • Multimedia Content • Public Dialogue
Digital Platform
Prospero
Key Outcomes
Critical Thinking • Communication Skills • Digital Confidence • Collaborative Research • Civic Engagement
Related Sectors
Education • Community & Inclusion • International
Related Programme
Signal Stories