Creating Theatre for Young Audiences Guantanamo Boy: engaging diverse communities and developing partnerships

Making Guantanamo Boy Timescale: Commissioned by Stratford Circus Arts week long research and development Week long research and development Performing Human Rights Symposium – Stratford Circus Production of Guantanamo Boy at Stratford Circus National tour in association with Half Moon Young Peoples’ Theatre Performing Human Rights symposium - Middle Temple Hall

Guantanamo Boy ‘Innocent until proven guilty….not here you’re not.’ Khalid likes football, hip hop and computer games and has a huge crush on a girl in his class like any other teenage boy. But being a Muslim in the aftermath of 9/11 can be dangerous. On a family holiday to Pakistan he is snatched in the middle of the night and caught in a nightmare world in which he is presumed guilty.

Developing Partnerships The project came about as a result of a range of partnerships both internal and external. Three main questions: 1.What is the value added for the partner? 2.How can partnerships support and enable projects? 3.What are the potential outcomes? What is the timescale?

Developing Partnerships: Internal Brolly is a company that creates and curates cross arts projects. UEL CPAD Stratford Circus Community Engagement: Engaging diverse young audiences in East London and beyond

Developing Partnerships: External Funding: Arts Council England Sponsorship: Human Rights Lawyers Association Knowledge exchange: Amnesty International ‘Youth Amnesty’ Networks : Penguin Books ‘Spinebreakers’ Audience: Schools / Colleges

Funding: Arts Council England The production was commissioned to address the lack of emotionally challenging theatre work for diverse teenage audiences. Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts improving the delivery of arts opportunities for children and young people raising the standard of art being produced for, with and by children and young people. Arts Council England (2010) ‘Achieving Great Arts For Everyone’ Goal 5: We live in one of the most diverse societies the world has ever seen, yet this is not reflected in the culture we produce, or in who is producing it’ McMasters Report (2008) Supporting excellence in the arts: from measurement to judgment

Performing Human Rights Symposium: Middle Temple Hall(2013) The symposium is a forum for knowledge exchange in which young peoples groups can discuss the issues raised in relation to human rights in the production with a panel including: Tim Otty QC:, Human Rights Lawyer, Bisher Al Rawi, A Guantanamo Bay Detainee, Anna Perera, the novelist, Rt. Hon. Ed Davey, MP

Partners: Knowledge Exchange Young peoples groups: Tower Hamlets schools groups – a borough which is one of the most diverse in the country and also has one of levels of arts engagement. Amnesty International - Youth Amnesty Muslim Women Writers Association Penguin ‘Spinebreakers’

Three questions… Human Rights Lawyers Association: Access and engagement young people Sponsorship Brokers for MTH Amnesty International: Recruitment / youth engagement Marketing Audience / profile Penguin Books: Sales / youth engagement Marketing Audience / profile UEL: Research / Impact Funding / support Production

Guantanamo Boy National Tour 2013