Applied Theatre
"The results always show an increased level of understanding and awareness of the topics explored which is extremely positive and highlights a high level of impact… The team are so flexible, professional and passionate – and I would recommend them to anyone"
– Georgina Summers, Safeguarding in Education Manager at Gloucestershire Safeguarding Partnership
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Georgina (George) Summers is the Safeguarding in Education Manager at Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership. In her role, George is responsible for delivering traded services to schools across Gloucestershire on general safeguarding and child protection. We spoke to Georgina to find out more about her experiences of working with Narrative Alchemy Co-Artistic Director, Sean McGrath.
How did you first connect with Sean?
I first met Sean in 2011 after my predecessor at Gloucestershire County Council made contact with him following a recommendation. It all started with a play called ‘Chelsea’s Story’, which at that time was called ‘Chelsea’s Choice’. I remember Sean came in to read the play to us before it was delivered in schools, and, even though he was simply reading the lines from a page and not performing it, we were all so moved and could instantly see the impact it would have on the children. Fast forward to 2023, and we have never looked back – we now have Sean and his team in schools across Gloucestershire each and every year.
What year groups do you invite the team into and how many students are in a typical session?
It totally depends on the individual performances that Sean and his team deliver. Firstly, ‘In the Net’, which is centred around an early introduction to sexual exploitation, we target at Year 4 pupils. Some of our primary schools have an extremely small cohort so we invite one school to host the play, and then three other local schools come along to the performance, meaning we get about 300 pupils in each session.
Next, is ‘Chelsea’s Story’ which we target at Year 8 students as it is a continuation of ‘In the Net’ and explores more adult themes. Each school gets its own performance and we offer 48 performances a year across the county – hitting roughly 9,000 young people. We also occasionally have the team in to deliver ‘County Lines’ to our Year 9 students as it raises awareness of child criminal exploitation.
Ultimately, we give schools a choice in which year group each performance is delivered to. For example, if a school felt ‘In the Net’ was more suited to its Year 3 cohort, they have the freedom and autonomy to deliver it to this year group instead.
How are these topics chosen?
The individual topics are mainly chosen through the priorities of the Gloucestershire Safeguarding Children Partnership. However, we do also ask schools for their input and staff often tell us what certain issues or topics they want to focus on so we can respond accordingly. I think all involved really value this joint and flexible approach.
What kind of impact do you see and hear about from the schools following the bookings?
Impact is fairly hard to measure as a lot of the work is preventative, however, Sean does circulate a feedback form to around 1,000 students a year which gauges knowledge pre-performance compared with post-performance. The results always show an increased level of understanding and awareness of the topics explored which is extremely positive and highlights a high level of impact. A student will also make a disclosure to a member of Sean’s staff after almost every performance. Sean’s team are highly trained and work with Safeguarding Leads in schools to ensure this is properly followed up and dealt with.
Do you have plans to continue the momentum and work with Sean in the future?
We absolutely do. We are certainly planning on continuing our programme of existing performances and are now exploring the possibility to deliver a new performance called ‘Breaking the Chain’ following a number of recent knife crime incidents across Gloucestershire. Sean and the team are so flexible, professional and passionate – and I would recommend them to anyone.
Our awareness raising plays and films are used by primary and secondary schools, the police, the military and corporate settings to improve awareness of, and inspire conversation about, modern challenges such as bullying, child exploitation, knife crime, domestic abuse and more.
If you'd like to book a project or commission us to develop something new, get in touch with our booking agents, Theatre for Schools, on 0161 236 1448 or click here to enquire.
Chelsea's Story is our internationally renowned applied theatre play that has proven highly effective in raising awareness around the sensitive issue of Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
It tells the story of two students who discover the diary of a girl called Chelsea. Chelsea was a 15-year-old girl who, having fallen out with her family and friends, met a guy called Gary. Gary was kind, understanding, had a nice car, had his own flat, and listened to her. Unfortunately, Gary was not all that he seemed! Chelsea’s Story is played out and examined by the two students who, along with their teacher, attempt to understand what happened.
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The play and post show talk lasts for 55 miutes and has proven highly effective at raising awareness around:-
Healthy/Unhealthy Relationships
Safe Internet Use/Sexting
The Grooming Process, CSE and the differing models that perpetrators can use
The warning signs of CSE
Avoiding victim blaming
Where to go for help and advice
Suitable for:-
Schools : Year 7 upwards
Training and conference events : Police and professionals who work with young people
To enquire please contact or booking agents, Theatre for Schools, on 0161 236 1448 or click here to enquire.
CountyLines is our innovative applied theatre play that raises awareness around the County Lines model of Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
Meet Dex. He’s a nice guy. He’ll offer you money. He’ll offer you drugs. He’ll be generous. He’ll make you feel important. He’ll make you feel part of something. He’ll make your life exciting. He’ll do whatever it takes to get you working for him and his mates… and when you do…
Meet Dex. He’s a scary guy. He’ll say you owe him money. He’ll make you deal drugs and move packages. He’ll blackmail you. He’ll be violent. He’ll make you terrified. He’ll threaten your family. He’ll turn your life upside down. He’ll do whatever it takes to keep you working for him and his mates… and he’s good at it!
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The play and post-show talk last for 55 minutes and raises awareness around:-
What is CountyLines and how can it affect young people
The Grooming Process and how it can apply to County Lines
Where to go for help and advice
Suitable for:-
Schools : Year 7 upwards
Training and conference events : Police and professionals who work with young people
To enquire please contact or booking agents, Theatre for Schools, on 0161 236 1448 or click here to enquire.
Unacceptable examines sexism, sexual harassment and sexual violence, which, unfortunately, are an issue for every school in every community in the UK. In order to combat these issues we need to understand and raise awareness of what they are, what creates them, and what can be done to expose, and respond to, the harmful attitudes that perpetuate harassment and gender injustice.
Friends Oli and Kalyn confront their mate Adam, who has been saying and posting some worrying things lately. They have decided to stage an intervention and are going to explain to Adam what sexism is, the differing forms that it can take, and the impact that it can have.
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The play and post-show talk lasts for 55 minutes and covers:-
What is the difference between direct, benevolent and ambivalent sexism?
What are sexist stereotypes, attitudes and behaviours
Where do these stereotypes, attitudes and behaviours come from and where can they lead?
What is the difference between direct, structural and cultural violence?
What are conscious and unconscious biases, and what is the ‘bystander’ effect?
How can you respond to and/or report these behaviours, and how can we create lasting change?
Where to go for help and advice
Suitable for:-
Schools : Year 7 upwards
Training and conference events : Police and professionals who work with young people
To enquire please contact or booking agents, Theatre for Schools, on 0161 236 1448 or click here to enquire.
Breaking the Chain is a hard-hitting applied theatre production that aims to raise awareness, kick-start conversations and build resilience around youth violence – with a focus on knife crime – as part of a public health approach to tackling the issue – an issue that is seeing young people seriously hurt and, all too often, killed on the streets of our towns and cities.
Recently out of prison and trying to turn his life around, Tyler is worried about his younger brother Zeke and his friend Danny. Zeke and Danny have started carrying knives and Tyler is desperate to ensure that they don’t make the same mistakes that he’s made in the past. The play follows them over the course of one day as the tensions are mounting and Tyler must intervene to avoid a tragedy and try to talk them all into breaking the chain.
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The play and post-show talk lasts for 55 minutes and aims to raise awareness around:-
The risks and consequences of youth violence and knife crime on the individual, on their friends, families, and on the wider community
The influences, fears and pressures that can lead to the decision to hurt someone or to carry a knife, and how these can be managed or avoided
The core skills that can be used help young people to navigate a whole host of issues and critical life moments that they may encounter
The importance of seeking help and advice, or telling someone if you are concerned about yourself, a friend or someone you know.
Where to go for help and advice
Suitable for:-
Schools : Year 7 upwards
Training and conference events : Police and professionals who work with young people
To enquire please contact or booking agents, Theatre for Schools, on 0161 236 1448 or click here to enquire.