Docbloc's  Artist-Led Citizen Journalist initiative, developed in collaboration with The Indypendent, brings together theatre artists and journalists to reimagine civic reporting through community storytelling. Developed in response to the decline of local journalism, the program explores how artists can help strengthen civic life by documenting, interpreting, and amplifying the stories shaping their communities.

Grounded in the belief that both theatre and journalism are forms of public inquiry, participants learn reporting practices while bringing their skills as storytellers, collaborators, and creative thinkers into the journalistic process. By combining reporting with artistic practice, the initiative makes systems, power, and civic processes more visible, accessible, and engaging.

Through workshops, field reporting, performances, and public conversations, Artist-Led Citizen Journalist experiments with new models of community-based journalism—positioning theatre artists as civic witnesses who help people better understand, participate in, and imagine public life.

Learn more and see work created by our 2026 Artist-Led Citizen Journalist cohort here.