Acting School to Explore Impact of Gangs on Girls
Students from Birmingham School of Acting (BSA), part of Birmingham City University, have launched a theatre and workshop programme exploring the impact of gangs on girls.
In collaboration with Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid, 30 second-year Applied Performance students will perform a 45-minute hard-hitting show to Year 10 female students from schools across Birmingham, for free, throughout November and December.
The theatrical performance piece, entitled ‘She’, will consist of drama, dance, music, singing, film and animation, spoken word and performance poetry and include real stories of teenage girls, with a devised narrative focusing on the exploitation and violence endured by three different girls through their different relationships with gangs.
Hannah Phillips, Course Director of Applied Performance at BSA and Director of ‘She’, said: “Until the recent Female Voice in Violence ROTA report, the focus with issues around gangs has been on young men. The relationship of girls with gangs and the sexual exploitation of girls, which is a very real situation in our city, have remained invisible for a long time.
The performance will be followed by a post-show discussion and debate facilitated by Birmingham and Solihull Women’s Aid Workers.
‘She’ includes vocal performances of Rihanna’s ‘Love The Way You Lie’ and Beyonce’s ‘Listen’ – songs with lyrics that could relate to women in troublesome situations.
Also performing in ‘She’ will be three members of Antics Dance Crew, a dance group from the Midlands who were finalists on series three of Sky1’s hit TV show, ‘Got to Dance’.
Hannah added: “We aim to raise the awareness of teenage girls and inform them of the dangers of being associated with gangs. Young women need to be empowered to make choices and to value themselves.
“’She’ is a fast paced, powerful piece of performance which boldly faces some very difficult issues. It presents its young audiences with emotive yet artistically exciting scenes which highlight that ‘she’ could be any girl.”
‘She’ will also be performed for public audiences on Saturday 1December, Monday 3 December and Tuesday 4 December at The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Birmingham, B6 4UU.
Tickets for public performances cost £5 (£3 concessions) and can be purchased online at www.the-drum.org.uk.
‘She’ has been marked as suitable only for audiences aged 14 and over.
Let us know if you're going to watch 'She' and what you thought of it in the comments below or tweet us @FemaleFirst_UK
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