About the Show

Jacob is a highly motivated young man heading for one of the top universities. But when his 16-year old girlfriend becomes pregnant he is thrown off track. Now he must make a very difficult decision – should he pursue the straight path, work hard and go to university? Or take the easy road to gang life for some quick cash?

SAFE is an original theatre presentation developed for two distinct age-groups: for children aged 9-11 in years 5 & 6 and students aged 12-14 in years 7-9. Each hour-long performance consists of two parts:

• Part one comprises a short playlet written by two upcoming London writers exploring gang culture and knife crime from a young perspective.
• Part two of SAFE uses forum theatre techniques to invite the audience to participate in improvised scenes, showing how the characters might make different choices. The exploration of the themes and issues raised in the play engages young people directly with ‘real life’ situations. SAFE is a contemporary presentation that not only gives children the opportunity to respond to present societal issues, but also ties in with many themes in the national curriculum including:
  – Anti-violence ｜ Critical Thinking ｜ Relationship Education
  – Gang prevention ｜ Drug Education ｜ Diversity Education

Timeline

After a hugely popular debut at TNG Youth Centre in May 2019 (watch the SAFE video here), not-for-profit theatre company Spontaneous Productions and community organisation James Ross Hunter Youth Support will bring this important presentation to schools in South East London in 2021/2022.

At this stage we are seeking expressions of interest from schools in South East London to strengthen our applications for funding. It is our goal to bring this important project to schools as low-cost as possible (or even free!).

• Autumn and Spring Terms 2020/21
  Schools / youth centres to confirm expression of interest
• Spring Term 2021
  SAFE project secures funding and confirms tour dates
• Summer Term 2021
  Booking period as schools invited to confirm performance dates
• Autumn Term 2021 (and potentially Spring Term 2022)
  SAFE performances in schools

Spontaneous Productions is a not-for-profit theatre company which has been providing high quality professional theatre for all ages in South East London and beyond since 2007.

James Ross Hunter Youth Support is a community organisation launched in 2014 whose aim is to encourage positive social values in youths and communities.

Find Out More

For more information about the project, or to express your interest in bringing SAFE to your school, college or youth centre, please contact producer Jonathan Kaufman at jonathan@sptheatre.co.uk.