Yesterday’s performances of “Mum, Can You Lend Me Twenty Quid?” were powerful, raw and emotive with many in the audience moved to tears by this rendition of family relationships broken by addiction.
The first performance was to Years 10 and 11 of Castle View Academy, Portsmouth, which was followed by interactive workshops discussing the key themes of the play, led by the actors themselves. The play had the pupils’ full attention throughout, and prompted a great deal of discussion and interactive roleplay in the workshops. As teachers told us afterwards – this is something that the students will be talking about for months to come, and will remember forever.
Photographs of the workshop can be seen on The Play page on this website, or on our Facebook page.
The evening performance was attended by a large audience of parents and family members, teachers and health professionals, and had a huge emotional impact on them too. The performance was followed by a talk by Rebound member Sue, who spoke her own family’s experience, and a presentation by Det Sgt Matt Easton of Hampshire Constabulary’s Drugs Unit, who spoke about the issue of County Lines and the police’s response. He also answered many questions from the audience on the subject.
Huge thanks to It Is What It Is Productions for bringing the play to Portsmouth, to Castle View Academy for hosting the two performances, to Sue for sharing her experience and to Hampshire Police for their active participation.
