Almost all was lost.
Britain has become a wasteland.
There was a little left.
I don't stay in the war.
Or from sickness afterwards.
It was left for their children to take charge.
They made the people an offer.
Work for them without rights and in return receive daily rations.
Those who accepted workers' glorified slaves branded on the forehand with a circle to symbolise their loyalty.
Those who refused were pushed out by large boundary walls built to separate the two communities.
This is sundered five years after the war went up.
The group that we've got are committed enough and talented enough and respectful of each other enough to just make this happen.
And it will, I have no doubt that they will have a good time and I think the audience will as well.
I think they'll be fascinated, which is great.
They were very giggly to start off with.
They wouldn't say shy as such because, you know, they're effective, they're older teenagers.
But there wasn't, I suppose it was more like intrepidation, what was going to come next.
Nothing, I'll break your nose.
We'll play in five acts, but with five independent sections that could stand on their own.
And from that we have taken in Sunderland Act 3 and produced that as a play in itself.
And the plan is, eventually, that we will travel to London to the West End,
along with the other theatres from across the country and perform in a West End gala,
which will be the premier of the whole play from start to finish.
I was very, very lucky because they basically came together and started to accept whatever was thrown at them
and then, which is what you need, you need people to just go like, yeah, whatever.
If you had one single image that says war, just show me that on the stage.
And hold it still.
Right, OK?
I want it to be all facing me.
The biggest challenge in making what you perceive to be an experienced people feel experienced.
And so, hopefully, this group of young people, although when they came together,
haven't really experienced anything like this before,
or necessarily worked together, or definitely not with me,
they will have gelled together and created what will be a lovely piece of theatre.
Beth has come to help one of our friends,
or an ex-partner, as it is in the play,
because his girlfriend, Karen's partner, is not very well,
so she comes over the wall to try and get them to change their situation
and make things a bit better,
because things have got a bit bad on the other side of the wall and they need help.
The character of the play is called Christopher.
He's from the other side of the wall,
and he comes over the wall to try and get the insulin for his girlfriend
and then gets caught and kept prisoner there.
I don't understand. Why would they let me go?
It doesn't make any sense.
It's something new to me that I've never done before,
and I like to try new things out and experiment
and see if I can achieve good things in life.
This is like a break for me,
because obviously I'm in the house 24-7 with the little warns
and just doing day-to-day things,
and then when I come here, she goes to our play group to break for her.
She's getting to see all of our friends.
I get to see my friends, or where people go to work during the day,
or whatever, how many days they do.
This is like my work place, because I get that break, you know.
You know why she asked me.
Why?
Because she knew I would see you, yes.
How could I say no?
Is this because of what happened?
Please, don't flatter yourself.
At first, I think everybody's a bit nervous
for how long we actually had and how long we've got until actual performance,
but I think if we get the rehearsals in and everybody turns up,
we should be alright.
I think it's a bit daunting for people who hasn't actually done it before,
but I don't think it'll be that bad, obviously,
but we'll have to see when it comes to it.
You need to talk to her about plans.
I'll get you.
Get seen and noticed, sort of thing,
for obviously, like, young people in Finland,
which haven't always got a good reputation or anything like that,
but it gives us the opportunity to sort of see the people
and let people see, like, we're not all bad or anything like that.
Like, young people isn't always a negative thing.
Without the opportunity that we've been given,
we didn't really want to mess it up right now, you know.
And what?
And I'll stay in your place.
Wow. It's amazing. What a sacrifice.
Make sure you get into the middle.
Can you wait outside? Just for a minute.
Oh, OK. I know what you mean.
You need to talk about plans.
I'll get you. I'll be right outside.
The one thing I think that people don't appreciate
when you're doing any kind of drama work
is that it does feed into, outside of that environment,
it feeds into the rest of your life.
And hopefully, it's the kind of thing,
having built something up
and feel like they've achieved something,
they can take that with them
and apply it to, like, the more normal parts of life, let's say.
Jack brought us out of a shell by doing the games,
even though it seemed silly to some people.
We didn't realise, like, what she was actually getting out of them games.
They were just games to us, but they weren't to her.
She was seeing where we all had problems
and stuff and how nervous we were.
Once the detective is in the centre of the circle,
the murderer will then receive to start murdering
through the medium of winging.
Once for the murderer, and twice for the detective.
When we started off with the workshops,
there's lots of getting to know you.
We started to feel comfortable with each other
and basically playing,
which, when it comes down to it, that's what theatre is.
I think there was an element of, like,
what's this got to do with anything?
But it's been interesting, as we've kind of moved further down the line
and got the script and all the rest of it,
and when I start talking about, or we start talking about,
like, when we did this and they go,
oh, that's why we were playing that game.
So it kind of, it's twofold.
It makes people comfortable and happy to work together,
but also can be applied to the work
that they subsequently do on script or otherwise.
A lot for me, really,
because I've had, like, confidence issues for a while now.
That first one, the first group I came to,
when I just sat there, didn't speak to anyone,
and, like, everyone had their own little groups,
but now it's, like, we're all one group together.
I can phone them and text them whenever I need them,
and it's brilliant.
So it's just about, like, convincing myself
that I can actually do stuff,
and giving us something to be confident about
and just helping us out, really.
What we're doing is serving the writing to a certain extent.
It's a kind of collaborative thing,
so that the director, the writer, the actors,
and whoever else may be involved,
whether it comes down to sound or lighting on whatever scale,
all feel like that they've contributed something,
even if it's just the tiniest amount.
And you each get a window to go like this
with, like, sort of the branding.
Do it to me, like that, so you're going to do that.
So you go down.
Yeah, you would.
If you don't get just, just imagine you're happy, right?
It gives everyone a sense of ownership,
which leads to a sense of pride,
which leads to success, really,
because the last thing anyone wants to do
is go on stage, expose yourself,
and feel like you've let yourself down or anyone else.
So it's all that kind of idea of, like, by the end of it,
come off and go, whoa, God, God, I did that.
My lines say, at home, I don't really do them that well,
which I should do them a bit more often.
But with us, obviously, rehearsing and things,
and what Chati sees, obviously, about learning,
you need to get up and do it with everybody else
and who you're meant to be doing with.
But, obviously, once you're doing the acting part with it,
you tend to pick them up a lot better
and remember them a lot better as well.
Should we have a call?
Should we have a call?
Do you know what the lines are?
Look at each of it.
Look, look, look.
It was a brilliant idea,
especially getting the people who have gotten involved
and it's just a once-in-a-lifetime chance for us
to perform at the Empire.
It's not something that we would normally get to do,
you know, so I think it's brilliant.
Because it was just flowing and I was just like,
oh, I know what to say.
I know what to say.
What it also is, is if you know why you're saying something,
the thought behind it, the word will come out anyway,
because it is well written.
So the words are the right words for the moment.
That's what you haven't got to do.
You haven't got to think that right along, you're just going to see it.
And that's why, as well, you need,
as soon as you possibly can, to start putting this down,
because then you'll know whether you know it or not.
And it's only by trying to do it without it
that you'll know whether you are in the right place
to say the words that you need to say.
That works, that does work,
because I give my script to Amy.
See me lines was going.
I was thinking and thinking.
Just think about it.
And what you have to remember,
you know what I keep saying,
you only say something in response to something else.
It's either another person or a thought.
So what you do is,
you think what is it that I'm supposed to say,
and then you say it.
Just because it's written on a page doesn't mean that you go...
Because that's absolutely no bloody use to them out there.
Just to prove to people everyone who's doubted is that
I can't get back on my feet and I can be somebody
and do something with my life.
It's not like I sat around pining for you.
I got on with my life.
I think this has helped us be a bit more strong-willed as well
and put me foot down a bit more.
They're ready to start talking
about an alternative to the current situation.
What do you think the council will listen to after this?
They will. We'll hear what they've found.
Go on.
A spring.
Producing fresh, un-polluted water.
What would be particular?
A spring.
After by the gallon down.
Go on, say it again.
A spring.
No, no, this one.
Yes!
There's Bob.
Whee!
A spring. Producing fresh, un-polluted water by the gallon.
A spring.
Getting to know people and obviously with my confidence issues,
getting things better with that and learning new skill of, like, performing.
Blow your top. Come on.
I don't understand why Sarah said that.
That's not blow your top.
I will make you angry if I have to.
I'm trying to learn my word and be angry at the same time.
It's multi-tasking, man. Men can't do this sort of thing.
Yes, they can. They do it all the time.
You know how frustrated you're feeling now?
I am.
Use it.
Right.
Remember that feeling, because this is not all.
One from, one away.
Same kind of thing.
Right.
Yeah? Just use that to say those lines.
Obviously with the West End, like, that's a biggest opportunity anywhere of this whole thing,
because with it being the capital of the UK for performing and things like that,
obviously we don't know what's going to happen.
Some people could go and, like, a couple of us could get asked to go to other places
and start performing for, like, a career sort of thing, you know?
I'll see him.
Being a hero now.
I'm not a hero.
Not yet.
Well done.
Can you feel the difference?
I think I'm going to be lying to one.
Yeah? Sorry.
Sorry.
That's the thing.
That's the way that you can start to feel that things are happening,
because you're reacting off each other.
Learn as much as you can. Trust yourselves.
What you have to do is trust yourselves.
It's not just about learning the lines.
It's learning what the person's saying before you,
because what you're doing is you're reacting to them.
Do you remember what I said right from the start?
The only reason we say something is because someone says something to us,
or we say something to ourselves in our own minds.
Well, I'm in it now.
I don't understand.
It doesn't really matter now, does it?
Two weeks, because we haven't got long.
Yeah, it's been brilliant.
Just can't wait to get it over and done with now.
Yeah, very nervous.
Just trying to picture everybody being there,
so you get over it.
Fingers crossed.
My nerves will be all right on the night,
and I'll not fall off a stage.
I hope there's more stuff like this after we've done this,
or hopefully we'll be able to do some more.
Everyone's panicking now.
There's nothing else to worry about.
There's nothing to worry about, everyone.
Don't panic, don't panic.
No, it'll be smashing.
And the thing about it is they care,
so it will be fine.
All the devil this is, and nature out tonight.
And the sadness of some lies,
he squished the sky.
