In 2021, The Performance Theatre explored the theme ‘our shared spaces’. Throughout the year we asked our community to recommend books that offered different perspectives on the spaces we share – from the physical and institutional to the digital and spiritual. A few titles from those recommendations are shared below.

“Simple, relevant, compelling!” – Tom Schmitt, chairman and CEO, Forward Air Corporation

“To remake spaces, we will need inspired and motivated people who are out there creating, reinventing and unlocking our full potential. I think, we need to restart thinking the value of the individual!” – Paulina Olsson, co-founder and CEO, Peppy Pals

“This book so eloquently discusses the transformative power of listening at depth, to ourselves and others. It also explores layers of ‘silence’, and how listening to music can help us build bridges with others.” – Dame Evelyn Glennie, solo percussionist

“A book which centres in the space we share with nature, in this case a fig tree.” – Rick Haythornthwaite, chairman, Xynteo

“A thought-provoking book that made me think about timeframes beyond what I was already thinking about. It shows me the power of having a wider dialogue that comes from a manifesto like the one this book presents.” – Anushka Sharma, founder, Naaut

“It is a surreal crime story, love story, sci fi story at the same time. Just like architecture. Multi-perceptional.” – Kjetil Thorsen, founding partner and architect, Snøhetta
You can revisit our previous post with the summer selection on the same theme for added inspiration. We also welcome new recommendations from you. Write to us on hello@theperformancetheatre.com and we’ll add your recommendation to our virtual library.
Since The Performance Theatre (TPT) 2018 in Berlin, we have been honouring the power of books to transform, collaborating with the team at Little Free Library on a pop-up TPT book exchange. Captured on bookplates tucked into recommended volumes, these recommendations have sparked conversations both in the moment and months afterwards.
Little Free Library is a non-profit organisation based in Hudson, Wisconsin, with the belief that all people are empowered when the opportunity to discover a personally relevant book to read is not limited by time, space, or privilege. Their mission is to be a catalyst for building community, inspiring readers, and expanding book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Libraries.