There has been an endless amount of speculation this week so let me stick to what I know.
I have led a sheltered, some might say protected life, brought up and living in rural areas. I only know one refugee personally but every time I see him it reminds me of the millions of others who faced death to seek out a new life. This week, for the first time, I understood in my heart why a mother would choose to leave her homeland and take her children to a better place.
The ‘refugee’ by the way completed his PhD and is now teaching at a University in his native Kurdistan. Last week he flew to Washington for talks with leading politicians about the future of his country. Whenever I see pictures or hear stories about immigrants or refugees, he is the man I think of.
I grew up in a part of the UK far away from the financial hub of London, In Cornwall. Even though I left at seventeen I knew then that the divide between rich and poor was growing so vast that local people could not afford to get anywhere near buying a property, but those investors from the South-East and overseas could buy up tracts of land with huge houses and leave them empty for eleven months of the year. Something was already rotten in the Duchy back then. In the intervening twenty years European Social Fund finance has been poured into the county to try and rectify some of the disadvantage but the sense of injustice still lingers among many of those who stayed. My family left the county due to the financial crash of the late 1980’s that left my father out of work and chronically depressed for years.
My family have never been wealthy but what they poured into me was a love of life and an aspiration to live my dreams. I did. And for the last eighteen years have made enough money to get by from writing plays and playing music.
All of this informs my attitude to creativity and the work I have set about doing in my life. I am for Theatre For Social Change. That’s the phrase I have attached in my head to define what it is I believe. By social change I don’t mean politics or divisive crowing, but a focus on inspiration, social cohesion and inclusivity. I want other children, not just my own, to have the chance to explore their own creativity and freedom. I want those on the outside or in the margins- young or old, rich or poor, of any race or ethnicity- to be welcomed in to events that bring communities together and remind us on a daily basis that we all benefit from caring for those around us. It doesn’t have to be done through the art of theatre but that is what I know so it’s where you’ll find me.
My own creative work and that of Badapple Theatre will continue to follow these principles, bringing people together for a good night out but making sure there is no-one left uninvited. I will ask all of the highly skilled members of my team to continue to hold this philosophy of inclusivity at the heart of all the professional touring and community work we do.
Theatre For Social Change. That’s what I know.
I have led a sheltered, some might say protected life, brought up and living in rural areas. I only know one refugee personally but every time I see him it reminds me of the millions of others who faced death to seek out a new life. This week, for the first time, I understood in my heart why a mother would choose to leave her homeland and take her children to a better place.
The ‘refugee’ by the way completed his PhD and is now teaching at a University in his native Kurdistan. Last week he flew to Washington for talks with leading politicians about the future of his country. Whenever I see pictures or hear stories about immigrants or refugees, he is the man I think of.
I grew up in a part of the UK far away from the financial hub of London, In Cornwall. Even though I left at seventeen I knew then that the divide between rich and poor was growing so vast that local people could not afford to get anywhere near buying a property, but those investors from the South-East and overseas could buy up tracts of land with huge houses and leave them empty for eleven months of the year. Something was already rotten in the Duchy back then. In the intervening twenty years European Social Fund finance has been poured into the county to try and rectify some of the disadvantage but the sense of injustice still lingers among many of those who stayed. My family left the county due to the financial crash of the late 1980’s that left my father out of work and chronically depressed for years.
My family have never been wealthy but what they poured into me was a love of life and an aspiration to live my dreams. I did. And for the last eighteen years have made enough money to get by from writing plays and playing music.
All of this informs my attitude to creativity and the work I have set about doing in my life. I am for Theatre For Social Change. That’s the phrase I have attached in my head to define what it is I believe. By social change I don’t mean politics or divisive crowing, but a focus on inspiration, social cohesion and inclusivity. I want other children, not just my own, to have the chance to explore their own creativity and freedom. I want those on the outside or in the margins- young or old, rich or poor, of any race or ethnicity- to be welcomed in to events that bring communities together and remind us on a daily basis that we all benefit from caring for those around us. It doesn’t have to be done through the art of theatre but that is what I know so it’s where you’ll find me.
My own creative work and that of Badapple Theatre will continue to follow these principles, bringing people together for a good night out but making sure there is no-one left uninvited. I will ask all of the highly skilled members of my team to continue to hold this philosophy of inclusivity at the heart of all the professional touring and community work we do.
Theatre For Social Change. That’s what I know.
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