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"In Playing for Time Lucy Neal brings together activism, ethics, and arts practice. I recommend this brilliant book to those students that are thinking deeply about how to make a difference in the world, those that want to make connections across different communities, and those that want to take action with whatever resources are at hand. It is full of examples of committed inventive people working with and for others to make society better for all. It is both a demonstration of how interdisciplinarity finds solutions from inside the problems, and a handbook for radical action in a changing world.
It was ahead of its time! It’s a fantastic book and deserves a revival.” 
Gregory Thompson, Professor in Creative and Collaborative Enterprise, UCL Anthropology
"A hand-book for life" - Rose Fenton, Director, Free Word.

"A remarkable achievement" - Neil Darlison, Arts Council England

"Beautiful from the first sentence" - Laura Williams

"Deeply nourishing" - Mike Grenville, Poet, Funeral Celebrant and Dying Doula 

"A beauty of a book’" - James Marriott, artist, activist and naturalist; part of the internationally renowned group Platform
"it’s like reading into all the mysteries and solutions of the world at once" 
Ruth Nutter, Creative Producer; Producer of the Guild of St George's 'Ruskin in Sheffield' programme; author of Paradise is Here: Building Community Around Things That Matter.
"Looking for ways to use art and creativity to connect people to land, wind, wildness, self and the rest of nature? In the context of the climate, ecological and health crises, in Playing for Time Lucy Neal has created an inspiring fieldguide of people, places, projects, insights, recipes, experiences and possibilities that transcends any one practice - weaving them together with wisdom and hope."
Dan Raven-Ellison, geographer and founder of National Park Cities and Slow Ways
"Playing for Time has been a hugely influential book for me. It utterly changed how I think about theatre, and myself as an artist, in relation to the climate emergency. It taught me, with specific and inspiring examples, that if the artistic community can come together and imagine a more just, more care-full future - and share that vision widely - we can change the public narrative. We can open up irresistible possibilities for tomorrow. We can make a difference."
Clare Slater - Artistic Director HighTide 

Playing for Time
making art as if the world mattered

​Lucy Neal
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REVIEWS ~  REVIEWS ~  REVIEWS    ~   REVIEWS ~   REVIEWS

"Playing for Time is an extraordinary compendium: an early recognition that the arts can be both world-changing and life-changing, making the argument, one splendid case study after another, that creative practice is an essential force for ecological well-being between people and across species."
Ann Light, Co-creator of the CreaTures Framework.
Professor of Design and Creative Technology, University of Sussex and Professor, Malmö University
"Facts and figures are not enough. If humanity is to survive and thrive it must become re-enchanted with the biosphere it depends on. Playing for Time is a dance of the imagination which does that, inviting us to look at and feel differently about the world. Once read, you will care more deeply and joyously about our miracle planet and its beautiful, unlikely diversity of life."
Andrew Simms: author, political economist, campaigner and co-director of the New Weather Institute
"Lucy Neal's Playing for Time is an essential resource for thinking about making work in the context of climate change. It introduced me to so many ideas, fellow artists, thinkers and makers - relationships that I treasure to this day. It's been a formative text for my development as an artist and I'm so grateful for its wisdom, warmth, openness and fluidity."
Ellen McDougal, Theatre Director and Maker
"The revolution of the imagination upon which our survival depends absolutely needs artists. Artists can nurture longing, bring alternate futures to life, immerse us in possibility, help us make sense of what's unfolding around us, and can be a key ingredient in the mobilisation of communities.  Playing for Time is an exhilarating collection of incredibly diverse work along the rich seam where arts meet environmentalism meets community empowerment.  It helped me to see my activism as being an arts practice. I can't recommend it highly enough". 
Rob Hopkins, author From What Is, to What if? and founder of the Transition Town movement
“Picking up this book and flicking through its pages was both heart-warming and frustrating. Frustrating because I wondered why I hadn’t known of it the first time around (where had I been?!), and heart-warming because I recognised so many names of contributors and it’s a joy to know how far back and deep the roots of their work go. The contents of the book spill out on you, reminding us all that there is an abundance of projects, people and practices to be inspired by and to act on at this time. This is the work, all of our work and now I’ve been given a second chance to drink this book in I’m not going to let it pass me by. Thank you Lucy for this re-gifting, and for lighting up the culture-making, the practices and the call on our collective imaginations.”
Cassie Robinson, Assoc. Director of Emerging Futures at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Co-lead of Philea’s Philanthropy in Transitions Lab; Strategy Group Member of the Funders’ Collaborative Hub. 
“Playing for Time... is inspirational and unputdownable, Each line, each sentence is insightful. I am excited and suddenly feel recharged...”
Neelam Man Singh Chowdhry theatre artist and Professor Emeritus at Punjab University
"I wish I had read this unique book a long time ago and wholeheartedly recommend it to every changemaker on the planet! Lucy Neal has curated a remarkable collection of stories, creative tools, methods, and practices relevant for everyone trying to dismantle systemic injustices. This collective task often seems too daunting as it requires us to break with old structures and patterns including how we think, feel and act to each other and the planet. Whether it’s in schools, villages, high streets or town square, Playing for Time provides countless real-life examples of communities coming together to re-imagine more joyous futures based on compassion, abundance, and radical inclusivity. Replacing fear with fun is key to creating opportunities for solutions and positive change as we confront the devastation and social upheaval of climate & ecological breakdown." 
Farhana Yamin, Lawyer & Activist, Visiting Professor, University of the Arts & Honorary Fellow, Somerville College, Oxford. 

"We desperately need different paths to different futures; who but artists could discover them?  And they could wish for no better handbook in their startlesmithing than Playing for Time, a guide through what really matters in our tumultuous times: creativity, community, and re-enchantment.  A catalyst to rooting in place and in play; to remarrying future and past; to bringing our world back alive."
Shaun Chamberlin, activist, educator, and creator of Surviving the Future: Culture, Carnival and Capital in the Aftermath of the Market Economy
“In this inspiring and joyful book artist and activist Lucy Neal shows us the art of the possible, how through writing, games and interventions in the urban fabric, we can create stories and living examples of the world that could be.  Playing for Time is deeply participative in its creation and content  - it’s a book for everyone  - those of us making change and those of us who are simply hungry for new stories to live our lives by."
Hilary Cottam, author of Radical Help

"Playing For Time is an example of how art and activism can, together make sense of the world, what we can do ourselves and what we can do together. The voices in this book are all important, early creative pioneers who understand that collaborating for the planet is not just a good thing to do, it is the only thing to do. ... this beautifully gathered collection of stories, insights and helpful ideas is a profound gift to us all."
Alison Tickell, Director, Julie’s Bicycle