Those convicted of crimes linked to August 4’s shameful scenes could feature in recordings reflecting on their own relationship to the town.
The project, designed by North East Opera, is one of more than 30 supported by money provided through the government’s Community Recovery Fund.
The wider North East Opera programme will feature workshops in community centres and places of worship, focusing on common myths relating to migration.
It will also include sessions with students at Middlesbrough College and the town’s schools as songs are created from the material.
Middlesbrough Council was awarded £655,000 from the government fund which is designed to reduce the risk of further disorder in the future, rebuild social trust and promote cohesion.
Almost £200,000 of that total has now been distributed to community-led projects.
Others funded include a creative arts programme titled Pieces of Us. It will see schools and community groups explore topics of identity and social challenges through art and writing.
Large jigsaw pieces will be created that will eventually connect to symbolise unity and the town’s strength.
One of the first events to be funded saw more than 50 women come together at St Margaret’s Church Hall in Brookfield for an afternoon tea that featured Middlesbrough street bingo and other nostalgia.
And late last month, the fund supported the Africa Day celebration in the Hill Street Shopping Centre.
The Friends of Hemlington Community Hub and Library will work on a mosaic mural at the hub celebrating the local area’s history.
And in Newport, Streets Ahead for Information will lead on a project to improve the Essex Square area.
Middlesbrough Mayor Chris Cooke said: “People of our town were hurt by what happened last summer and we’ve got a lot of work to do to help our communities recover.
“The details of the projects that have been awarded grant funding are really interesting and I’m confident they will help promote our strengths.
“It’s clear that a lot of thought and creativity has gone into the applications – these projects will help us show off the best of Middlesbrough.”
Youth services providers are receiving £205,000 from the fund with the money paying for more one-to-one focused work with the most disengaged young people.
Guidance on how the funding should be spent out was set out by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
It said the funding could be used to “empower communities to address the deeper roots of the unrest”.
