Can street theatre drive home a safer drinking message? Greenwich Drug and Alcohol Action Team has commissioned community arts virtuosos StoneCrabs Theatre to find out.
Taking inspiration from the Government’s existing Know Your Limits campaign — you know those TV and radio ads where people get ready for a night out by smearing make-up, vomit and kebab across their faces — StoneCrabs is taking to the streets of Greenwich to present vignettes aiming to provoke drinkers to think about how much and how safely they consume alcohol.
Keep your eyes peeled around the Cutty Sark for tipsy and vulnerable-looking women and a vomit-flecked young man trying to pull outside the station.
“We’re looking at how vulnerable people can become,” said StoneCrabs artistic director Franko Figueiredo. “We have a young female actor dealing with her escape from a problem. Under the influence of alcohol, she is vulnerable on the street.”
Credit for this Home Office-funded collaboration belongs to the action team’s former alcohol strategy co-ordinator Davey Thomson who saw StoneCrabs in action — raising awareness of domestic violence issues with theatre on the streets of Lewisham — and thought it could work for his cause too.
“I’d been looking at ways which were innovative and to get the message across without sounding like a nanny state,” he said of the initiative’s origins.
“Street theatre has the power to engage the local community and the Know your Limits campaign shows people before a night out making a real mess of themselves, and was quite a clever message.”
The message, shining through StoneCrabs stories, is that many people do not drink safely, and furthermore, don’t even realise their drinking is harmful. For those who do realise during the performance, the Greenwich Drug and Alcohol Action Team will be on hand with leaflets, advice and support.
Between the drama, fun and advice, the hope is the message has less chance of getting lost.
“The days of the leaflet, although they have served their purpose, are numbered,” said Davey.
“You can learn more from a 10-minute performance than from a leaflet left in the bottom of your bag. You’re going to take more away from it than from a leaflet.
“We’ve found it really resonates with people if they get this information through intervention. Face-to-face makes people really think about their actions.”
Naturally, being in the attention-grabbing theatre business, Franko agrees.
“We’ve found the format does provoke, as it’s quite immediate. There’s so much information around, you get accustomed to it all. Something like this stays in your head. Our domestic violence project came at a time when the issue wasn’t really talked about that much. Soon after the police launched a big campaign.”
It’s still designed to entertain though. There’ll be humour, music and fun. One of the vignettes, for example, is set to Adele’s ode to on-the-pull boozing, Not Drunk Enough.
“We’re not trying to condemn drinking,” said Franko. “Yes, drink, but be moderate and have fun but be safe.
“This provokes people to think more about the issue.”
Safer Drinking. Jan 23 and Jan 31 Cutty Sark and Greenwich town centre. Call for times and further details. 020 8694 6472.
- Does street theatre have the power to get you thinking about drinking? Share your views by commenting below.
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