The People's Takeover

This year our People’s Takeover invites our local community to take over our spaces with a programme of activity themed on care. 

With artists: Andrea Mbarushimana & Denisse Levermore, Bambi Bang Bang & Ibi Profane, Imagineer Productions, Josh Leach, Jude Rees AKA MADRIGIRL, Nyotaa Izeidi & Tropical Harmony, Out of Whack, ReignTheGirlBand, RE(YOU)S C.I.C, Unlock Theatre, Tarla Patel. 

Drop in for a session or stay for the whole day to see the wealth of creativity Coventry has to offer.

The People's Takeover is part of our Handle with Care! season.

Schedule 

Workshops

Bottle’s Up, with RE(YOU)S

11:30-4:30, Creative Learning Space  

Transform glass and plastic bottles into colourful creations that celebrate care, connection, and renewal. You can bring your own bottle or use one of ours to upcycle! Adults will work with glass, while children can work safely with plastic.

facebook.com/reyous.cic  

@reyous.cic

Connections Build Connections, with Andrea Mbarushimana & Denisse Levermore

11:30-4:30, Theatre Bar  

This interactive installation invites reflection on relationships that support our mental health. At its centre is a glowing brain sculpture, symbolising how human connection shapes the brain. Visitors are invited to add their special person to the neural network and contribute reflections or poetry, with poet laureate, Andrea.

www.andrea-mbarushimana.com

@Andymba24  

Character-Drawing-Animated workshop with Josh Leach

11:30-4:30, Lower Foyer

A care filled animation workshop! Come and make a character either illustrated or out of play-dough and see it get brought to life with the magic of animation to create a weird and wonderful community.

Gallery Foyer Stage: Music & Interactive Performance

Innovative Sounds for Defunct Objects with Jude Rees AKA MADRIGIRL

12:30pm

Jude Rees is a dynamic and fearless multi-instrumentalist fusing ancient instruments with modern circuitry. Under her solo moniker MADRIGIRL, Jude reimagines early music through a contemporary lens, diving deep into the raw source material and reconstructing it with live-looped improvisations, her own compositions, and a rich tapestry of drones.

@judereesmusic

Interactive Story Time with Bambi Bang Bang & Ibi Profane

1:30pm  

Join Drag artists Ibi and Bambi as they read and act aloud some amazing inclusive stories. Expect to join in with them as the stories come to life for the audience! All are welcome, but stories are aimed at ages 5-8

@ibiprofane

@bambibangbanguk  

Live set with Nyotaa Izeidi and Tropical Harmony

2:40pm

This set will journey from old-school classics to stripped-back alternative sounds, highlighting how music from back in the day continues to inspire and influence young people today. Expect instruments like the bongo and flute and influences from Nyotaa’s Congolese heritage.

@nyotaaizeidi

@tropicalharmony101

Live set with Reignthegirlband

3:30pm

An intimate performance from Reignthegirlband, showcasing released and unreleased music. Rooted in friendship, joy, and experimentation, they deliver warm, heartfelt sets. Since playing their first show in Coventry, they’ve built a following on shared laughter and genuine connection—whether experimenting with sound, cooking dinner together, or just letting the music take flight.

@reignthegirlband

Dance and Theatre

A Rehearsed Reading of The Lost Lionesses with Unlock Theatre

1:00 - 2:00pm, Helen Martin Studio

A rehearsed reading of ‘The Lost Lionesses’ A multi award-winning play about the true story of the 1971 Women’s World Cup in Mexico by local playwright Nicole Lockwood-West. Join us as we perform the first few scenes of the story, a post-performance Q&A and see our collection of women’s football artifacts.

@thelostlionesses

Children of Chaos with Imagineer Productions

3:00 – 3:30pm, Helen Martin Studio

Children of Chaos is a compelling dance-theatre performance, created with and performed by 11 diverse community participants. Together, they explore the line between chaos and order, individuality and unity, tension and trust. Step into a living, breathing sculpture of motion and connection.

@Transformations_cov

See Me Hear Me with Out of Whack

Roaming Performances throughout the day

Out of Whack is Warwick Arts Centre’s resident Elders’ Contemporary Dance Company for people aged 60+. Their performance is a raw and evocative contemporary dance piece that explores, “inner conflict with our emotions and the frustration of invisibility—demanding to be seen, heard, and remembered not only for who we were, who we still are but also what we are aspiring to be.”

To top it all off, our community photographer, Tarla Patel will be on hand to capture your joy throughout the day! Please make yourself known to our team if you don’t want images taken.