Storyhouse Childless is a day of events to explore living without children to build community, meet new people and hear people’s personal stories.

What will the day be like?

This year, Storyhouse Childless returns with a one day event featuring a more diverse line up of stories including those of people who have chosen not to have children. Having co-curated this event with a number of experts and people working or volunteering in the community we know that there are lots of grey areas and so many reasons or stories. We can’t possibly include them all in one day.

You are welcomed into the Garret Bar and Theatre from 9am where hot drinks and breakfast will be available. Take the time to get settled or have a walk around the stunning book lined spaces of Storyhouse. The Garret bar which is situated on a fully accessible 4th floor will be turned into a creative space where you can pick up a book, paper or scribe some thoughts onto the wall posters.

At 10am the day will be launched and introduced by Dr Dawn Llewellyn. Dawn will be making audience members aware that the spaces are informal, meaning you can come and go as you need. Dawn is childfree and is the Associate Professor in Religion and Gender at University of Chester.

The first event will see an in-conversation event with Dr Dawn Llewellyn and Jody Day (Founder of Gateway Women). Jody is childless. Together they will frame the day, talk about definitions, and discuss the complexities and the similarities between people who are childfree and childless.

There will be three lots of 10 Minute Stories which are made up of four or five people each telling their story in 10 Minutes. These events are the perfect way to cram in the vast number of personal stories. One of the panels will be focused on men and will be chaired by Yvonne John (2019 speaker and author of Dreaming of a Life Unlived).

There is an opportunity to take part in a writing workshop led by poet Betty Doyle who you can see perform later that day at the open mic event which will give the audience the opportunity to take to the stage.

Jody Day (Author of Living the Life Unexpected) will present a new piece of writing she has been working on which involves stories of things she has learnt about being childless. Jody’s stories will be accessible for people who are childfree and childless.

The day will close with a show by performance, director and theatre maker Victoria Firth. The one woman show How to be Amazingly Happy cuts across art forms to tell Victoria’s autobiographical story of wondering whether to have kids, seeking medical intervention, coming up empty handed and ultimately exploring coming to terms with and discovering what to do with the second half of her life as a non-mother.

How do I book tickets?

Following feedback after 2019 we have made more ticket types available to suit your needs. You can choose a Day Pass (£40) which will give you access to every event or you can book individual events if you can’t make the whole day. You can also bring a friend or companion along for free – you can book a free ticket along with your paid-for ticket at checkout.
Click here to buy a Day Pass.
Individual tickets available – £5 / £10
If you’d like to attend but feel cost is a barrier please contact nicola@storyhouse.com

How did Storyhouse Childless come about?

Storyhouse Childless first happened in November 2019 after the lead member of Chester Gateway Women group made the suggestion that she would like to see events and activities programmed for people who are childless. She explained how she struggles to navigate life without continuously bumping into festivals, events, theatre etc that are promoted for children and for families with children. The inaugral Storyhouse Childless in 2019 shared personal stories from people about how they reached the point of defining themselves childless. Some were stories of infertility, some were around stories of how they had wanted children but it didn’t happen, some stories were health related.

Who is the day for and who is it not suitable for?

The day is for people who are childless and people who are childfree, or for those who would like to understand more so that they can support a family member or friend. It is a space to connect with other people who you can maybe learn from, build community or friendships with. Storyhouse Childless is not about supporting people hoping or planning to have children in the future, or for people who are secondary childless.

Terminology

You may see, hear or use the term Childless By Circumstance or Involuntary Childlessness for people who are childless. You may see, hear or use the term Childless by Choice for people who are childfree. For this event and for continuity we will use the terms childless and childfree. If you don’t identify with either of these labels then you may find that you are somewhere on the spectrum between the two.

Support

Please get in touch with nicola@storyhouse.com if you would like to chat about any of the themes that will be discussed. The people contributing to the day will also be around throughout to make anyone attending feel welcome.

Food and Drink

If you choose to, you can attend the full day – we have factored in lots of breaks, a long lunch and longer dinner. This is based on the feedback we received after the 2019 event. If you would like to pre order a Storyhouse lunch box based on the Storyhouse menu please do so here. These will be delivered to the Garret Bar and Theatre. If you would like to reserve a seat for dinner please do so here. We have reserved a number of the tables situated in The Kitchen (Storyhouse Restaurant) for audience members so that people can eat together giving further opportunity to meet new people.