WE ARE FREE

TO CHANGE THE WORLD

A Dash Arts, ArtsAdmin & Fête of Britain Series

We Are Free To Change The World is a new series of three Dash Cafés exploring how artists and creative activists respond to the urgency of our times.

Through performance, film and conversation, each event, chaired by Dash Arts artistic director Josephine Burton, brings together creative voices to consider how we act - and how we do this together. A collaborative act between Artsadmin and Toynbee Studios resident, Dash Arts, the series also celebrates Dash Arts’ 20th birthday, and 18th year in the building, and part of the Fête of Britain

Framed around preparation, balance and movement, the series will make space for connection and reflection, for building or sharing tools and practices, and might be the starting point for something new we imagine together.

GO

Thursday 19 March 2026, 6pm – 9.30pm - Toynbee Studios

Doors 6pm. Conversation and performance begins at 6.30pm followed by a Making Session at 8pm. Approx’ running time: 3 hours, including breaks and networking.

How do we move forward, and what are we moving towards?

The final Café in the series looks at what it means to take action. GO brings together artists, activists and thinkers whose work invites movement: outward, onward, and often together. Through shared conversation, performance and a creative making session, we’ll explore the next steps, whether practical, political or imaginative. 

Hosted by Dash Arts Artistic Director, we will be joined by

Clare Farrell – Designer and Activist
Maureen Onwunali – Poet, Performer and Facilitator
Josh Appignanesi – Film Director and Writer
Mira Awad – Musician and Multidisciplinary Artivist

The evening of conversation and performance includes a Collective Making Session, using materials and topics we have generated throughout the We Are Free to Change the World Series. 

Featuring a Zine making supported by the Fête of Britain and Josh Knowles’ Giant Book of Best Things Ever, we encourage you to bring any paper or making materials you may wish to add to the session, alongside your art, questions and reflections. 

Please note: We’ll record the conversation for Dash Arts’ OffScript podcast series We Are Free to Change the World.


BOOK GO

PAST EVENTS IN THE WE ARE FREE TO CHANGE THE WORD SERIES

READY

Thursday 20 November, 6pm – 9pm - Toynbee Studios

How do we begin? What does it take to prepare for change—artistically, emotionally and politically?

The first event in the series explores the conditions that help artists and creative activists find their ground. Through performance, short film, and conversation, READY invites a range of perspectives on how we get ready: to listen, to make, to resist, and to come together.

We will be joined by

Bishi Bhattacharya – Artist, Composer and Producer

Lehni Lamide Davies –  Artist, Creative Producer and Programme Director of BA in Theatre and Social Change at Rose Bruford College

Carole Cadwalladr - Author, Investigative Journalist and Co-founder of The Nerve

Sam Lee - Folk singer, writer, conservationist, song collector, award-winning promoter, broadcaster and activist

with performances by

Aïda Jamal – Artist

and hosted by

Josephine Burton - Artistic Director of Dash Arts

sTEADY

Thursday 22 January 2026, 6pm – 9pm - Toynbee Studios

What does it mean to stay balanced and grounded in a shifting world?

The second event considers how we maintain clarity, care and collaboration in the face of complexity. With a mix of live work and discussion, we’ll explore ways of navigating identity, power and creative tension—both within ourselves and in our communities.

STEADY is a chance to reflect on how we work—slowly, carefully, and with others.

We will be joined by

Natasha Walter – Writer and Campaigner 

Liz Slade - Chief Officer of the Unitarian movement in Britain

Tasneim Zyada - Palestinian-British writer and international performer

Mohammed Ali - Artist and Curator

The event will also feature a work in progress sharing by Lou Robbin – multidisciplinary artist, wellbeing practitioner and creative producer.


And hosted by Dash Arts Artistic Director, Josephine Burton