Pride Creative Stories: with Paul O’Donnell and Extraordinary Us
// creative industries // LGBTQIA // Pride // West Midlands
Forming part of Creative UK’s Pride Creative Stories is Extraordinary Us; a creative production company based in the West Midlands, telling meaningful stories that celebrate the lives of people and communities, and redefine perceptions of significance.
Through collaboration, authenticity and flamboyance, Extraordinary Us has delivered impactful projects like:
Speak Up: Our Patch, in partnership with Wolverhampton Grand Theatre and National Theatre, is a bespoke garden created with the help of over 130 school students from Wolverhampton and Walsall which was gifted to a public space in Wolverhampton. The students planted flowers that best represented them and shared cards detailing what they need to truly thrive.
The Weight of War, supported by West Midlands Combined Authority, British Council and Arts Council England, is still in the works and will culminate in a powerful performance piece bringing together diverse voices from war-torn communities, exhibiting stories from local residents who have been affected by significant conflict across Rwanda, Kosovo, South Korea, Northern Ireland, England and the USA.
Driving this creative work is artist Paul O’Donnell, whose impressive back catalogue spans many creative industries, from performance to theatre to production. He holds position of Associate Artist at Birmingham Repertory Theatre and Theatre Absolute and is the founder of Coventry’s Shoot Festival; a biennial cross-arts event championing local talent from Coventry and Warwickshire. Paul also took part in the West Midlands Create Growth Programme!
We asked Paul what the Pride theme for 2025, Activism & Social Change, means to him:
“I’ve always been a little nervous to call myself an Activist – recognising that there are a load more influential and powerful individuals than I making much bolder moves for positive change. But, if I’m to draw upon the thinking of Extraordinary Us I guess you don’t have to throw yourself in front of the King’s horse to be an activist, small steps are enough too. For me Activism and Social Change go hand in hand, and the activism/change I’d like to pioneer is one rooted in the word ‘understanding’.
I believe that hatred, disrespect, fascism, isolation, arguments, segregation, racism, homophobia, transphobia, and many of the other ism’s or phobia’s in the world that separate or divide people, could be broken down if instead we find creative opportunities for understanding to shine through. Once you understand that ‘other’, they’re honestly nowhere near as monstrous as you’d anticipated.
I don’t think I’ll ever be quite as brave as Emily Davison, (and horses kinda frighten me whilst just standing still to be honest) but I hope that I can become just as much of an activist – by creating radical understanding between the futures most unlikely of friends. It’s part of what Extraordinary Us is all about.”
