The Things We Dreamed Of…

Rehearse and Reimagine what’s Possible.

Portraits of Recovery invites LGBT+ people in recovery from substance use to join The Things We Dreamed Of… a free series of artist-led workshops exploring queer healing, creativity and collective imagination.

Led by artists Jez Dolan and Alana Lake, the project draws on the Recoverist Manifesto, which reframes recovery as a cultural, social and political act. The Manifesto insists that recovery is not a private struggle, but a shared creative force: a way of reclaiming agency, connection and voice.

From the project brief:

Recovery can be understood… as a series of steps and acts of preparation, sometimes steady, sometimes faltering, but always moving towards rebuilding a life and finding new ways to reconnect.

This workshop series and public performance will transform the Whitworth into a queer rehearsal room: a place where longing, possibility and future-making sit alongside uncertainty, vulnerability and the risk of getting it wrong.

What You’ll Experience

Across the workshops, you’ll take part in:

• Creative exercises inspired by rehearsal practices
• Movement, writing, drawing, and collaborative making
• Activities exploring inhibition, exposure, and the discomfort of being seen
• A supportive, queer-affirming environment
• The co-creation of a final performance shared with audiences during Recoverist Month September 2026

This is an invitation to “sit with the unfinished” and explore recovery as a living, shifting act of creativity in and of itself.

Workshop Dates

All workshops are free and take place on Saturdays, 1-3pm at the Whitworth.

• 25 July
• 8 August
• 22 August
• 5 September
• + One additional date TBC

Places are limited so register to secure your spot. No previous arts or performance experience is needed, just openness and a willingness to explore alongside others.

Image: A Moveable Feast with artist Jez Dolan. The Whitworth 2023. Image courtesy Lee Baxter.