Join us for our spring 2023 season. This year’s annual theme is Ritual.

Since 2017, Lancaster Arts has adopted an annual theme that shapes our work from our concerts, theatre and exhibitions to our support for commissions and residencies. In 2021, our theme was Water, in 2022, Age & Ageing and both themes continue throughout our work in lots of ways but importantly, directly led to this year’s theme of Ritual. 

What makes a ritual, and what role does ritual play in our lives now? How are artists engaging with ritual in their work? Can rituals be art works? Can art works be rituals? What new rituals might we need or create? Join us as we explore these questions together through our programme, commissions, residencies and participatory projects and events in 2023. 

In 2020, the COVID 19 pandemic threw our lives into disarray. Rhythms, routines and rituals were forced to change to accommodate new and changing realities. We missed the reassurance and comfort of particular ways of coming together. We delayed our weddings, stayed home for celebrations, sat alone at funerals, or said goodbye to loved ones via livestream. As restrictions have lifted, there has been a joy in returning to rituals, but also a realisation that some of the new ways of doing things have value too. There has also been a desire to make sense and commemorate. 

Over the past year, in our conversations with artists, audiences and collaborators, we began to notice an interest in rituals – old and new. Performances might take the form of new rituals, or explore the experiences of established ones. The creative process itself could be perceived as a ritual.  

Rituals associated with remembering or commemorating, rituals connected with the milestones in our lives and the creation of new rituals. In 2023, we look forward to taking these ideas forward with the artists we are working with, our partners and with you, our audiences. 

Please take a look at our spring programme and we invite you to join the conversation on Ritual!