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Shakerley teenagers in drama on the
estate
A seven month project exploring the lives of
young people on the Shakerley estate, in Tyldesley, concluded on
Thursday March 20th with a dance and drama performance at Fred Longworth
High School.
“State of the Estate – Breaking Barriers” was performed by Laura Bent,
Emily Marsden, Caroline Gallagher, Chloe Harper, Toni-Louise Ince,
Loretta Flynn, Megan Powell, Natalie Cunliffe and Codie Wadsworth to an
audience of family, friends and officers.
“State of the Estate – Breaking Barriers” gave an insight into the lives
of the young people of Shakerley and their future hopes and aspirations.
The performance showed young people from the area are taking positive
action and how they have strong views on how to improve their community.
The drama and dance performance focused on different issues including
peer pressure, aspirations, negative role models, alcohol, drugs,
escapism, stereotyping and the reality of life on the estate.
One particularly interesting scene was a Big Brother-style diary piece
about a girl called Loretta. A difficult home life saw her struggling to
concentrate at school and she faced a dilemma about whether to go out
with her friends and get drunk or whether to prepare for a job
interview. The scene concluded with two very different outcomes, showing
the pressures many young people on the estate face and how quickly their
lives can spiral out of control.
Most of the girls had never performed before, making it a nerve-racking
experience for some. As Chloe Harper explained, “It was scary performing
because I didn’t know half the people in the audience. It was a bit
terrifying but I enjoyed it.”
The performance was created by the girls and drama worker Andrew Blake,
and dance worker Alexis Butterworth during four months of writing and
rehearsing at Shakerley Community Centre. It was based on interviews
with young people from the “State of the Estate” documentary, directed
and filmed last autumn by Rachael Turner and Andrew Blake.
Emily Marsden said: “A lot of people have negative views about us but
State of the Estate has shown that we’re not all the same. Not everyone
is rough and going round beating people up.
“Life for most of us is just a case of having nothing to do and growing
up on the estate. What is important is that we continue to have projects
like this in Shakerley because it has given us something interesting to
do.”
The State of the Estate project was funded by the Local Network Fund and
local councillor’s Brighter Borough funding, and was managed by Wigan
Leisure and Culture Trust’s Arts & Festivals team in partnership with
Wigan Pier Theatre Company, with support from Shakerley Tenants and
Residents Association.
Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust Arts Development Officer Samantha Dawson
said: “State of the Estate aimed to challenge viewers, giving an honest
and open account of what life is like for young people growing up in
Shakerley. This was seen as too stark by some, but it is reality, and
there would have been no benefit to hide that. It has certainly raised
awareness throughout the borough of the issues young people face on the
estate.
“Overall we involved 26 young people throughout this project. The arts
were used as a creative consultation method to engage them in a way that
could not have been achieved through more formal consultation methods,
such as surveys.
“Using dance and drama increased young people’s confidence and self
esteem, and the young people themselves freely admit that it has kept
them off the streets. Staff at Shakerley Community Centre has also built
up better relationships with the young people involved, gaining a lot of
respect for their hard work and effort throughout the project.
“This work has also identified a demand for more arts activity in
Shakerley, which Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust will explore, and
Shakerley Tenants and Residents Association are now planning to set up a
youth committee for the estate, so young people can apply for funding
and choose what projects they want take part in.
“We have engaged with young people in a really creative way. Officers
and practitioners now need to follow up this work and respond to what
young people are saying.”
Notes to Editors
Further information
• For further information please contact Kennedy Stewart, Press Officer
for Wigan Youth Information at Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust, on
(01942) 486927.
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