Being outdoors in the woodland offers an inspiring, relaxed backdrop. Young people can experiment with performance in non-traditional spaces, using the trees, winding paths, and open clearings as part of their staging. It is local, familiar, and deeply embedded in the Knotty Ash community. This lowers the threshold for participation, making it easier for young people to show up, feel ownership, and contribute.
We explored the ‘Grassing or Grooming?’ resource with the group (exploring gang-based grooming and criminal exploitation), which we knew might be challenging since most characters are male and we were asking the young girls to step into the shoes of young lads. Through improvisation, they began to test out ideas, experiment with responses, and view situations from different perspectives. Character work pushed them further, requiring them to inhabit roles that were sometimes uncomfortable or far from their own experiences. It wasn’t easy—at times they wrestled with the emotional weight of the material and the courage needed to fully commit—but each step stretched their confidence and creativity.
Over time, their confidence grew. They started to take creative risks, to support one another, and to claim ownership of the stories we were telling. What began as tentative steps into challenging territory became a powerful piece of collaborative storytelling that they could truly stand behind.
During the process the young people could sometimes become distracted by dogs, joggers and the wind but by week four, the group began to embrace these challenges, and in some ways the unpredictability gave the work an added edge of authenticity.
On the day of the performance, their commitment was clear. Yes, a few lines were lost in the open air, and there were moments when transitions could have been sharper, but those felt minor compared to the honesty and presence they brought. The promenade format kept the audience active, moving through the park and meeting the story in fragments, which mirrored the way young people often experience confusion and pressure in real life.
The forum theatre section with parents at the end was, for me, the highlight. After six weeks of preparing and rehearsing, it was moving to see the young people step back and let parents intervene, testing out different decisions and outcomes. The dialogue that opened up was raw and meaningful – parents saw scenarios they worry about, and young people saw their parents wrestling with those choices in real time. That exchange was something no rehearsal could have manufactured, and it felt like the culmination of the whole process.
Overall, the six weeks of work led to something authentic, brave, and rooted in the voices of the young people themselves. It wasn't just about creating a performance, it was about creating a safe space for dialogue, reflection and change – for the young people, for their parents, and for us as a practitioners.
This summer project was delivered as part of our 'Empowering Children's Voice' programme with support from The National Lottery's Community Fund.
