First performed on 15^th November 2003 at the Endsleigh Centre in Hull, Credo's entertaining and thought provoking exploration of language through poetry and prose, speech and silence, twists and truths, songs and sonnets, Literally Speaking {4,2,4}, took a capacity crowd on a journey via drama, humour, movement, music and video, towards a better understanding of how language shapes our lives.

Click here for a review.

Due to popular demand, Literally Speaking {4,2,4} was performed again on 20 March 2003, to great acclaim.

In the Spring of 2003, a grant from Creative Partnerships enable Credo and Fifth Avenue Primary School in Hull to undertake a series of projects with Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils. The first of these projects explored the history of Hull and celebrated recent developments within the City such as the new sports stadium and "The Deep". They produced a film, "Pride in Hull", which was shown to an audience of parents and invited guests, including the Mayor, who commented that it was the best video for tourism that he'd ever seen!

Headteacher Keith Lodge has been delighted with the outcome of the project, saying,

"The work Creative Partnerships and Credo did in terms of getting children involved with living history is at the heart of what the Government and teachers want schools to do. By using first hand experiences to bring subjects alive, the children learn so much more about history and their own surroundings."

Credo also worked with the school to address personal, social and health education issues by getting the pupils to talk about children's rights and how they can co-operate with each other and work together. This resulted in group discussions which led to children writing poems about their wishes for the future, followed by a presentation to the school.

The objectives of the project were raising aspirations and getting the pupils taking part to think about their community. The aim was to develop a sense of pride in the community, and producing a video of their findings and feelings meant the children also acquired skills in video and filming techniques.

Click here for more information.

Encouraging children to feel proud of their school and to have respect for their surroundings was the intended outcome of the Our Place project undertaken by Credo Arts Community and Fifth Avenue Primary School in Hull in the first quarter of 2004. Click here for more information on the project.

Performed first on 9 November 2000 at the Live Art Space, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull, UK. This piece was a special commission from Yorkshire Arts and Hull City Council for the Humber Mouth, Hull Literature Festival 2000.

"Representing perhaps the best kind of youth or community theatre, Credo performs with intelligence, exuberance and creative use of multi-media. 'Urban Eyes' was a compilation of music (mostly pre 90's pop and rock) and short dramatizations of poems. The show was themed around the pressures of urban life in the UK . . . . I was absorbed and entertained for most of the show, very impressed by the skills of many of the cast, and by the interpretations of poems and songs. I hope Credo produce more work for future festivals in Hull, and recommend their work to anyone looking for performance which is fresh and innovative."

Maggie Hannan,
Resident Web Site Critic,
Humbermouth Literature Festival 2000

A shorter version of Urban Eyes was performed as part of the "EdFest" Urban Ministry Conference at Longhill, UK on 9 June 2001 (click for pics), and the fully fledged, no holds barred version drew an even bigger crowd when performed for the 2001 Humbermouth Literature Festival, in St. Columba Church, East Hull. Click here for a review.


Funded by Hull City Council and Yorkshire Arts

In July 2001, with the help of a grant from Christian Aid, Credo launch Lifting the Scales - our flexible presentation for the Trade Justice Movement. Within it's first year, Lifting the Scales will have been seen at over 20 venues across the UK. For more information on the campaign, please view our Campaigns page.

"I've been to several Trade Justice events, but this is the first in which I understood what was actually wrong with the WTO!"
Great Limber, Dec 2001

from Mr Everyman Visits the WTO

". . . Delegates are often bulldozed into decisions of which they do not know the full implications and that do not offer the best deals for their countries . . ."


from The Masks Removed

" . . .In Indonesia thousands and thousands of people work on production lines, "like battery hens" as one journalist described. They work in temperatures of up to 40 degrees, doing very long shifts, for some of the world's richest companies, such as Nike and Gap. For their work they earn about 72p a day, about 4% of the cost of the trainers they work on - not enough even to buy the laces . . ."

A fundraising event for Comic Relief 2001, held in the Haworth Arms, Hull, UK, on 23 March 2001. The evening included comedy sketches, charity single quiz, celebrity pants auction, and disco. Many thanks to Louise, the Beautiful South, Roland Gift, the Bishop of Hull, John Godber, Crystal Palace, Sylvain Wiltord, Hull City, Hull FC, and Hull Kingston Rovers for signing pants for auction. £379 was raised for Comic Relief's charity work in Africa and the UK.

"How often do we forget that behind the incredible stories of the bible lie real people, who, despite their different culture and history, share with us the essence of our common humanity - our hopes, fears, dreams and frustrations.

"This event gives chance for us to find out about those who have gone before - four women from the bible tell their own stories and experiences. Through the presentation and the opportunity to talk with the characters, we will find out a little more about their society stories and their special relationship with God."

Performed six times in the Humber region since 1998. Click here for a review.

Performed most recently in York in March 2003 for Riverlines at the City Screen, York, and twice in Hull. First performed on 15 November 1998 at Hull Screen Theatre, as part of the Hull Literature Festival. It was this first performance that caught the eye of the Literature Festival supremos, leading to the Special Commission in 2000.


Self Assembly is based on poetry of U A Fanthorpe, recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry 2003, whose work formed part of syllabus for A' Level English Literature. In the word of the publicity;

U. A. Fanthorpe has been described as a poet who can "hit you below the heart." Now you have a chance to engage with the voices, subjects and challenges in a unique way, as Credo Arts Community bring you . . .

. . . a dramatic blend of music, drama, dance, video and visuals, giving an enlightening interpretation of a selection of Fanthorpe's work. This 75 minute presentation will delight both her loyal fans, and the first time 'reader' as we see unfolding "the gallery of human types that do not usually figure in poetry."

Click here for reviews. If you have seen Self Assembly then we would love to hear your comments. Please send them to review@credoarts.org.uk

If you would like to read U A Fanthorpe's work for yourself, "Selected Poems - U A Fanthorpe" and "Penguin Modern Poets Volume 6" are available from Penguin Books, and a wider range of her works from Peterloo Poets.