As we reach the end of another busy year at Black Sheep Collective CIC, we are taking a moment to reflect on what has been an inspiring and rewarding period of creative work across Milton Keynes.
Growing Participation and Creative Opportunity
Our participation programmes continued to thrive this year. During weekly sessions our Black Sheep Young Company have developed in confidence and are developing into a collaborative ensemble. We have developed our adult acting offer, delivering two groups at Stantonbury Theatre: our Adult Acting Group and Actors Company, providing more opportunities for actors to develop their craft.
Together, participants collaborated to devise original work, culminating in public performances at Stantonbury Theatre. ‘Detention’ and ’Twas the Murder before Christmas’ received great feedback from audiences.
Reaching Audiences Across the City
THEATRE
We were proud to have brought theatre and storytelling to wider audiences through touring and site-specific work. Our seasonal performances at Milton Keynes Museum connected with audiences of all ages and brought a memorable experience to visitors.
Original Black Sheep Theatre productions included ‘Gathering Dust’, ‘The Time Trickster’, ‘Spooky Stories in the Street’ and ‘The Magical Tinderbox’.
QUEER AF 2025
We curated and delivered a range of events for our Queer Arts Festival (Queer AF) 2025. Our Adult Acting Company performed ‘Forbidden Dream’, a queering of Shakespeare’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. We also supported Amy Holmes to develop her scene, ‘You don’t date like an Emma’, which was performed as a curtain opener. The sketch explored the trials and tribulations of dating as a trans woman.
We also curated ‘Queer Cabaret’, which showcased a range of sketches, songs and poems from queer artists in the region. Acts included ‘Lady Garden’, ‘Queerly Beloved’ and Ben Macpherson. The evening was a real joy and a unique experience for audiences.
Our Queertopia event quadrupled in size, supporting 44 students from Milton Keynes College, exploring identity, the meaning of self and developing autonomy. It was a liminal experience of trust, collaboration and support.
‘Forbidden Dream’ was unlike anything I have ever seen before’. An audience member shared.
‘I loved the session. I learnt so much about myself and my classmates.’ Queertopia Participant
CENTRE MK
We have delivered a wide range of free activities at Centre:mk shopping centre, offering circus and craft sessions throughout the school holidays. Children had fun learning circus skills and trying different arts and crafts activities. Our facilitators helped children decorate Easter eggs, design comic books, create upcycled crafts, make masks, and even carve pumpkins for Halloween.
This year marked our 10th summer running the busking programme; we celebrated with a two-day busking festival. Over the August bank holiday weekend, musicians, visual artists, storytellers, and community groups like What’s the Drama entertained centre:mk visitors for free. Families also enjoyed face painting and balloon modelling.
MK KINGZ AND KWEENZ
In October, we held our second annual MK Kingz and Kweenz B-Boy competition at Romeo Dance Academy. This came after the suc
cessful revival in 2024. Dancers competed to music from live local DJs, and international judges selected the King, Kween, and the best crew, who won a cash prize. One of our former youth theatre members designed and made the custom trophies.
YOUTH CLUB
This autumn, we launched our second youth club in Greenleys for kids aged 8 to 17. The club offers a safe place to hang out, socialise, and take part in activities like arts and crafts, games, and movies. In November, local DJ ‘Moshchops’ ran a vinyl scratch workshop, teaching kids how to scratch, loop, and sample music. We have more workshops planned for the new year. If you’d like your child to join, follow the link to sign up;
https://eequ.org/book/greenleys-youth-club-with-the-black-sheep-collective-cic-21007
This provision will continue in the new year alongside The Lounge in Wolverton, which is funded by Wolverton and Greenley’s Town Council.
SEWF 2025
We attended the Social Enterprise World Forum that took place in Taipei, Taiwan, 27-31 October 2025. The event was a great opportunity to connect with international changemakers and inspire new work and future collaborations.
None of this work happens in isolation. This year we strengthened partnerships with schools, local authorities, arts organisations and community groups. These collaborations allowed us to reach new communities, respond to local needs and create meaningful opportunities for participation and professional development.
As we move into the next year, we remain committed to widening access to the arts, supporting wellbeing through creativity and centring community voices. We are excited to build on this year’s momentum, develop new projects, and continue creating spaces where people feel seen, heard and valued.
Thank you to our participants, audiences, partners, funders and supporters for being part of the Black Sheep Collective story. We can’t wait to see what 2026 will bring.
