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Spare Tyre’s Pretend Families cast members Danielle Krepka, Hannah Mulder and Olivette Cole-Wilson
Picture: Sheila Burnett |
Touring play is driving out gay bullying
A GROUNDBREAKING theatre company is touring schools to combat the “culture of fear” they say surrounds important issues such as homophobia and identity.
The Spare Tyre theatre company, based in Haverstock Hill, hopes to encourage 9 to 11-year-olds to air their feelings and improve their understanding of other people’s differences with their play, Pretend Families.
The production, which runs from October 29 to November 30, is based on the families of three children and explores issues surrounding homophobia, particularly in schools.
Claire Chapwell, who wrote the play, said: “The company has a long history of working on gay issues in schools.
“We wanted kids to empathise and realise that all families are different. There is such a culture of fear in schools that it makes these kinds of issues difficult to speak about. This is why we wanted to stage this production, we wanted to bring it out into the open”.
Spare Tyre, now in its seventh year, began touring London schools with Pretend Families in February, but have had a mixed response.
Arti Prashar, artistic director for Spare Tyre, said: “Some schools and members of society are not ready for our play. We’ve had a limited but positive response to this production.
“The play gives courage to the children who see it. During a show kids completely empathise with the characters. In one performance a little boy stood up and said he was being bullied.”
The company have developed a programme for teachers tackling homophobic language and bullying in schools and have showcased productions for pupils in primary and secondary schools across the UK.
Jennifer Fews, headteacher of a Warwickshire primary school, said: “As with racism in the 70s and 80s, homophobia is an issue that we cannot sweep under the carpet or deny that it exists in our schools. The play is not just about homophobia, but is about stereotypes, prejudice, honesty and integrity.”
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