Reflections From The Rehearsal Room

Building a community-driven piece of theatre

Meg is a regular attendee of the Home from HOME women's group based in Gorton. Every two weeks, an intergenerational band of creative and incredible women meet at Gorton Central Community Centre to drink tea, chat, connect and create art. They are the self-titled ‘Gorton Gals’.

The voices (and even photos and videos) of these women will feature in HOME’s upcoming HOME production The Home We Made, created with Malandra Jacks. Longstanding member of the group, Verity, will take centre-stage in the three-strong core cast who have devised The Home We Made under the expert guidance of Malandra Jacks.

Although you won’t see her on the stage, Meg will be keeping everyone in check backstage as the Assistant Stage Manager of The Home We Made.

Reflections from the rehearsal room.

Here are some reflections from the rehearsal room from ‘Gorton Gal’ Meg:

Rehearsals for The Home We Made have been gentle and warm, shaped as much by conversation as by making.

Starting with a brew has become part of how we set up — a way of settling into the room together before anything else happens. Tea breaks return us to the same place throughout the day, offering a moment to pause. This show is about family and belonging, but not in a neat, picture-perfect way. It’s about the families we choose, friends who feel like home, a break in life where we gather, check in, and laugh.

We’ve been sharing stories about the places we return to each week, the rooms that sit alongside our actual homes. Choirs, clubs, classes, parties, craft groups, rehearsal rooms. Spaces that aren’t “home,” but slowly become something close to it. What connects these places isn’t always the activity itself, but the feeling of being accepted. Of being noticed if you don’t turn up. Of knowing that your presence matters, even when you arrive tired, distracted, or unsure of yourself.

The Home We Made looks at the homes that exist because people choose each other. Because they make room. It’s about the quiet power of gathering, and the ways shared spaces can shape who we are.

About THE HOME WE MADE

The Home We Made is a brand-new HOME production created by award-winning company Malandra Jacks, Home from HOME community groups and local artists. It's a celebration of belonging, of the bonds that grow between neighbours, friends, and strangers who choose to stand side by side. The Home We Made runs 28- 31 Jan 2026 in Theatre 1. You can find out more and book tickets here.

Home from HOME is our long-term community programme that delivers long-term creative projects with young people and adults within community settings across Manchester. Through our projects we want to improve health and wellbeing, reduce isolation and promote access to art and culture. We strive to build long-term relationships with our local communities and co-create work that authentically tells their stories and amplifies their voices. Home from HOME delivers activity in Gorton, Hulme, Moss Side, Wythenshawe and North Manchester.

The Home We Made has been made possible through the support of The Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Garfield Weston Foundation and the Leri Charitable Trust.