Award-winning Belfast based theatre company, Prime Cut Productions, will bring their latest play, ‘Removed’, to the Alley Theatre on Thursday, November 7.
Written by Fionnuala Kennedy, Removed tells the story of Adam – a young person who has grown up in the Northern Irish Social Care system.
Removed is not based on any one individual, but rather an amalgamation of the many interviews gathered by Fionnuala Kennedy in collaboration with Voice Of Young People In Care (VOYPIC).
A group of young people with care experience shared their personal stories with the playwright.
“Going into the interviews, my knowledge of the care system was really limited. Your ideas are informed by things you’ve overheard or assume,” explained Fionnuala.
“We just started from the beginning – from when young people are taken into care, that day or night or moment when you’re removed from the familiar and brought into a system where it’s difficult to have autonomy over your life, because, as a child, things are decided for you.
She continued: “The play is dedicated to all those making the lives of young people in care better – to the staff of VOYPIC and the many other organisations working with these young people.
“It’s for those incredible foster and adoptive parents who change lives every day, the great social workers navigating the system, but, mostly, to those extraordinary young people who gave me their time and shared their stories, who are utterly inspiring and making a huge difference for children in care now, and in the future”.
Tickets cost £8 and are available from the Alley Theatre Box Office on 028 71 384 444 or online at www.alley-theatre.com
As part of their outreach and engagement work, Prime Cut in partnership with Clanmil Housing, Barnardo’s NI, Home For Good and Arts & Business NI will deliver a free workshop on Friday, October 24th in Barnardo’s Family Centre, Strabane.
It will include smaller performances of the show and post-show discussions exploring what it really means to be ‘in care’, the realities of fostering and many of the other issues explored in the play.
The workshop gives audiences an additional outlet to examine the issues portrayed and emotions evoked by Removed.
The session is completely free of charge and open to everyone. To book the Removed Workshop, visit Eventbrite and search “Removed by Prime Cut Workshops” or contact Bobbi-Rai@primecutproductions.co.uk.
