Stockton’s stories take centre stage in new production about community, climate and hope

What do we love about where we live – and what can we do to protect it?. That is the question at the heart of World’s on Fire, a major new production written and directed by award-winning disabled writer and director, Vici Wreford-Sinnott, coming to ARC Stockton from 15–17 October 2026.

Created with people from Stockton and the wider Tees Valley, World’s on Fire is a celebration of the things that connect us: friendship, the beauty all around us, the places we call home and the extraordinary power of local action. Bringing together professional actors, community performers and learning disabled performers, the production explores what happens when people come together to imagine a different future.

At its heart is a simple idea: local people often don’t realise the significance of what they have, what they can change, and what they can achieve together.

As a disabled-led production company, Little Cog creates work that puts the hidden stories and experiences of disabled people centre-stage, challenging entrenched perceptions of disability and celebrating the talent and creativity of disabled artists. World’s on Fire continues this commitment, placing disability justice alongside questions about community, connection and our shared environment.

Written and directed by Vici Wreford-Sinnott, the production marks another chapter in the work of an artist whose practice has consistently challenged audiences to see disability, community and the world around them differently. Through theatre that can be witty, powerful, challenging and deeply human, Vici’s work creates space for disabled voices and new narratives.

World’s on Fire asks what happens when we stop feeling powerless and start looking at what is already around us: the people, places and relationships that matter, and the possibilities for change that exist close to home. It aims to tackle the overwhelming climate information overload that makes it hard for people to know where to begin.

Because sometimes the biggest changes begin with recognising what we already have.

Vici Wreford-Sinnott, writer and director of World’s on Fire, said:

“World’s on Fire is about community. It’s about keeping your heads up when the world tries to say you’re rubbish. It’s about the things people love, the beauty all around us, remembering to breathe, friendship and this town.

“It’s about you. It’s about me.”

The production brings together professional actors Angela Rose, Audrey Cook, Beth Samuels and Philip Harrison with community performers from a range of communities.

Alongside the cast, the newly formed World’s on Fire Choir and a Community Movement Chorus bring local people directly into the production, turning community participation itself into part of the story.

The result is a large-scale, richly collaborative piece of theatre that puts Stockton’s people at its centre.

While World’s on Fire doesn’t shy away from the enormous challenges facing the world, it is ultimately a story about resilience, connection and hope. Rather than asking audiences to solve global problems from the theatre seats, it asks what becomes possible when people look around them and recognise the strength, creativity and potential already present in their own communities.

The production also reflects Little Cog’s commitment to putting disabled people’s voices and experiences centre-stage and creating new work with disabled artists and communities.

World’s on Fire plays at ARC Stockton Arts Centre Thursday 15 October – Saturday 17 October 2026. Tickets are available here.