Back to Directory

Dende Collective

Description

Dende Collective is a Westminster-based arts organisation that uses theatre, masks, storytelling and participatory performance to strengthen wellbeing, reduce social isolation and bring communities together.
We specialise in long-term creative programmes that place participants at the centre of the artistic process. Working with older adults, intergenerational groups, libraries, schools, community organisations and local residents, we co-create original performances that build confidence, creativity, communication and social connection while producing work of genuine artistic quality.
Our flagship programmes include the Church Street Elders, a year-round creative theatre programme for older adults, the annual Church Street Masquerade, which brings hundreds of residents together through large-scale community mask performances, and our programme of original productions at The Cockpit, including community-devised theatre and The Elders Panto. These programmes sit alongside our workshops, festivals, walkabouts, creative consultations and place-based projects that celebrate local stories and encourage meaningful connections between residents.
Our projects combine professional artistic practice with community participation, enabling people who may have little or no previous experience of theatre to develop new skills, express themselves creatively and perform in high-quality public productions. We believe everyone should have the opportunity not only to experience the arts, but also to help make them.
Much of our work takes place across Westminster in partnership with Westminster City Council Libraries, Church Street Library, Pimlico Library, Mayfair Library, The Cockpit, Penfold Age Well Centre, schools, community organisations and cultural partners.
We are particularly interested in Creative Health, ageing well, social prescribing, community cohesion and ensuring that high-quality creative opportunities are accessible to people who may face barriers to participation. We are always keen to develop new partnerships with organisations working across health, culture, education and the voluntary sector to create ambitious, inclusive and joyful projects for Westminster residents.