Waltham Forest Student Youth Violence Production to be Live Screened to Schools across the UK

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Waltham Forest Student Youth Violence Production to be Live Screened to Schools across the UK. 

Lock Down, a provocative, hard-hitting, student drama will be performed at the 1000 seat Waltham Forest Assembly Hall at 2pm on Monday the 4th of November 2019, simultaneously broadcast nationwide.

The play is a highly physical, evocative and engaging piece of verbatim theatre performed by Ignite Theatre Company, a cast of young actors who are full-time students at Leyton Sixth Form College. Lock Down was developed out of extensive research and interviews with the Metropolitan Police, the Youth Offending Team, and local Pupil Referral Units as well as the victims and perpetrators of knife crime and their families.

The increasing escalation of youth violence, its cost at both a personal and societal level, and its impact on the day to day lives of young people inspired staff and students to find a creative response to what has become a seemingly intractable issue.

The development of the play was supported by funding from the Waltham Forest Safer Neighbourhood Board and the extensive writing and devising process has resulted in a piece of innovative and challenging theatre built around the testimonies and lived experiences of those directed affected.

Devising the play allowed students to explore issues that are upsettingly close to home. 17 year old performer Shyam Patel feels the effects of youth violence on his day-to-day life. Living and studying in East London, Shyam is sadly used to low-level threat that hangs over young people today. The play “really makes you think about the issues…and how violence can impact all aspects of life.”

Based in the college, Ignite Theatre Company have built a reputation for producing critically acclaimed provocative, issue-based works which seek to explore important socio-political themes of our time. Their previous production, No Human is Illegal, was performed in the Houses of Parliament, outside the Home Office and for London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The new production, Lock Down, was first performed in college in July to sell-out audiences which included senior police officers, council cabinet members and a number of charities working in this field. Detective Chief Superintendent Richard Tucker of the Met Police was immediately struck by the potential of this work, commenting that the production could influence their knife prevention messaging.

Lock Down was also shaped by the wider commitment of Leyton Sixth Form College to promoting youth safety. Principal Gill Burbridge explained, “As an educational leader I have seen the impact of youth violence on our young people and their families, our staff and our community. Whilst we recognise that the causes are complex, multi-faceted and frequently rooted in broader socio-economic factors, we are not prepared to stand by and watch whilst young lives are destroyed. We have established a range of initiatives and approaches at the college and Lock Down is a fantastic example of the positive difference that young people themselves can make when they are allowed a voice and a platform from which to speak.”

As well as the live streamed event, the production will hit the road visiting the Barnabas Arts House in South Wales. Drama teacher and co-creator of the production, Katy Arnell, has seen the impact on both performers and the audience. “The cast have had an incredible experience of performing in a play which is both evocative and relevant to them. Everyone who comes to see the show seems already emotionally invested, and they leave visibly moved. Our actors in training have learnt a great deal about the political, social and economic context of the issue of youth violence.” Performing in the play can be an empowering, as well at a cathartic, experience. As Shyam notes, “it’s good to feel like you’re part of the solution, rather than just a passive bystander.”

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