Gatherings

Throughout 2024, we’re aiming to have regular gatherings on our host islands at which we create, with our imaginations and our hands, a fictional place called Skylark Island and her community. There will be ways to get involved in person and also online. If it’s easier, we can try to come to you. Eventually, we’re hoping to have an in-person event where we can see and/or play characters at a coming-of-age celebration. You can ask specific questions in the chat room on our Discord server. Discord is free but you need an email to register. Once you’ve done that, click here to go directly to our Discord server, then click where it says #chat-and-questions.

The Story

We're creating a fictional place called Skylark Island that we will collectively bring to life over a long period of time, and through connections with community groups on islands around the British and Nordic coasts. There is a thread of story based around three core characters. Everyone is invited to imagine other characters and aspects of the island and her community. We do this through conversation, and/or roleplay, and/or making things. If we find we are creating Skylark’s community of characters in a way that a gathering of them could happen in person, we will aim to hold an in-person event that revolves around the coming-of-age celebration for one of our core characters.

The Copenhagen Interpretation

The Copenhagen Interpretation is the name of the process we're using for this project. It's a blend of storytelling, theatre, and roleplay. It happens both remotely and in person, and it's designed to support a broad and diverse spectrum of access support needs. Here is some information about how it works, and how you can be involved or participate in The Broad Cloth. If you want to participate immediately, click here for info about how to join us on our Discord server which is free and open 24/7.

The Gatherings

There will be various gatherings and get-togethers throughout this project. These might be:

Get-togethers where we come and visit you / your community group to have an informal chat about what you do, and what we are doing, maybe over lunch, maybe at a place or event to which you want to introduce us, maybe at the place where you do what you do.

In-person participant gatherings, with a timetable that we set together, imagining and/or creating things, perhaps including learning new crafting skills, making and building, as well as chatting over a cuppa about the fictional island, the real island, or about life in general.

Online participant gatherings where we might chat, play characters, write together, make plans, do other activities remotely.

The final gatherings for everyone involved, which are a bit more like a Live Action RolePlay (LARP) or an immersive theatre play where characters and stories come to life, during video conferencing and in-person events.

Where and When?

You can be present without interacting at any of these gatherings. We'll announce when and where they are happening in these places:

This database website
The main website
The newsletter: click here to sign up
X (formerly Twitter)
Instagram
Facebook
You might be part of a community group that lets you know when things are happening with this project.
You can also let us know if you'd like a letter, or a text message.

All of these gatherings will happen multiple times over a year or more. Some will happen mid-week, some at weekends. Some will be daytimes, some evenings. We will either come to you, or try to be in spaces that are as convenient and accessible as possible. You’re welcome to suggest or volunteer an accessible space you have, or one you know of, that would be convenient for you and may also be for others.