This is a kind of a blog - but its also a kind of a cheat!

Launch of Girl E by Clifford Oliver – Barking and Dagenham and Outer London schools tour

On Thursday 10th November our studios at the Malthouse in Barking were buzzing with the sound of 120 guests from Barking and Dagenham and further afield. Thankfully they didn’t seem to mind being squeezed into our small performance space to share in the launch gala performance of our new play Girl E by Clifford Oliver.

This is the third of our  plays from “ The Blade Trilogy”  which explore youth violence through powerful and relevant stories. Girl E was born from the response of young people and families to the  performances and discussions following Boy X and Pact.  Young women  frequently expressed a strong feeling that their experiences and voices in relation to the attractions and dangers of gang involvement and violence were largely unexplored.  As a result of these and other conversations we set about developing this new work.

I had the privilege of directing a group of excellent actors who are part of our professional pool of over 50 performers. Lilly Driscoll, a talented young actor who has just joined the Company, plays Bonnie. Her character is  inspired by the story of Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde infamy and features six poems written by Clifford Oliver in the style of Bonnie Parker’s own poetry.  

The  gala performance was followed by a robust  and encouraging discussion involving a diverse group of police officers, young people, lawyers, social workers, parents, teachers, and members of the wider community.

We are delighted with the Feedback from the participating schools.   'Thank you. I felt today was an artistic and pedagogical triumph. You worked so hard (especially with the workshop question and answer session at the end). Your efforts and work are most appreciated by us all at Sydney Russell School. Working with your company encourages us to feel that the "battle for hearts and minds" can be won..'
Chris Sullivan, Sydney Russell School

And from another teacher:

‘the most appropriate performance for teenagers in modern times’.

We were also pleased to have been invited to perform extracts from the play at the White Ribbon Conference on Friday 25^th November at the Barking Learning Centre.