Pinwheel creates projects which transform places and transport audiences.
Whether devising spellbinding new festivals or collaborating with artists to create jaw dropping outdoor productions, Pinwheel’s values shine through.
Edinburgh International Festival Opening Event
We are delighted to be producing the Opening Event for the incredible Edinburgh International Festival, with Principal Partner The Macallan. This spectacular new production will be inspired by Scotland's history, mythology and landscape.
Image by Laurence Winram
Find out more about the Edinburgh International Festival Opening Event →
Rugby League World Cup Cultural Festival
Postponed for a year from Autumn 2021, the Rugby League World Cup, held in England, was a breakthrough moment in the tournament’s history with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions staged together for the first time.
Pinwheel created, commissioned and produced a Cultural Festival programme which ran alongside the tournament, taking in large-scale outdoor performance, arresting public art and a programme of engagement opportunities. The programme celebrated the diversity of the competing nations and amplify the tournament’s strapline “The Power of Together”.
North of the Tyne, Under the Stars
“Settle yourself comfortably because I’m about to tell you a story of a place you might know, West of the Sea, East of the Lakes, South of Scotia and North of the Tyne…”
Over four nights in March 2022, this free event brought magic to audiences of around 40,000 people in Newcastle City Centre, with spellbinding projections playing out across iconic buildings and streets. The festival finale followed a series of events in neighbourhoods across Newcastle, Northumberland and North Tyneside in the weeks before, which were enjoyed by 16,000 people.
North of the Tyne, Under the Stars wove a new fable for the region. Driven by a sense of place and the tales gathered by a character called the Story-Weaver – imaginative, magical and locally resonant stories – the events used projections, atmospheric imagery, sound and fire to capture the character, beauty and diversity of this region and ignite the imagination of the audience.
Produced by Pinwheel and DAT Events and commissioned by the North of Tyne Combined Authority
Image: The Zoetrope by Illuminos at the North of the Tyne, Under the Stars Festival Finale. Image by House of Hues.
Find out more about North of the Tyne, Under the Stars 2022 →
Southpaw Dance Company
Pinwheel collaborates with North East based Southpaw Dance Company on the creation and delivery of mass participation outdoor dance performances. Set up in 2013 under the artistic direction of choreographer Robby Graham, Southpaw Dance Company has created powerful, joyous performances, from small scale solo work to large scale outdoor spectaculars, combining absolute artistic integrity with engaging narratives which inspire and excite audiences.
Image: RUSH, South Tyneside 2015 in collaboration with Cultural Spring.
A Thousand Stories High
A Mark Murphy Project
Pinwheel is currently working with Director Mark Murphy on the development of a spectacular new outdoor show.
A Thousand Stories High is the story of how a community came together to build a house to hold their dreams. How they built floors and walls and rooms and a roof to house them. Then when their house was finally built and their dreams were safe inside, how one night the house suddenly took off and a thousand dreams took flight…
Mark is an award-winning creator of world class theatre, outdoor spectacle, major civic celebrations and international ceremonies. He is a director, writer, film-maker and production designer.
If you’re interested in collaborating with us on A Thousand Stories High, get in touch to find out more.