Curious Monkey bring new show Leaving to Exeter

Curious Monkey return to Exeter this month with their new show Leaving.

Leaving home for the first time is a step into the dark. If you’re leaving the care system, the reality hits even harder.

Caroline’s dad was an alcoholic.  She shared a caravan with three adults and five kids. Keira didn’t go to school.  She was constantly in trouble.  Tom was physically and mentally abused. Simon was moved from pillar to post.  And Sadeed. Sadeed was 15 when he arrived from Afghanistan to seek asylum.  He had mental health problems. 

All had their own issues and all had chaotic lives before they entered the care system.  All struggled to begin with but eventually each found some kind of temporary stability within it. Then, at the age of eighteen … there’s the door.  Each is put out into the wild with little or no support.

Leaving is a new work by Paddy Campbell. Shot through with anger, uncertainty, fear, humour and hope, the play draws upon the words of young people who have gone through the care system. 

It is performed by an ensemble cast and created by an award winning team who push the boundaries of verbatim theatre, giving a voice to those experiencing and working within the system, from staff in children’s homes to MPs and policy makers to the young people themselves.

Paddy Campbell’s inspiration for Leaving came from his own experiences as a key worker at a North East children’s home.  Shining a light on the lives of young people leaving care and the issues they face, the work is formed from interviews with those in the system and those leaving it, staff from local authorities, children’s homes, social workers, MPs and Ofsted.

Leaving, presented by Curious Monkey in Association with Northern Stage, is running at Exeter's Bike Shed Theatre from 15-18 March 2017.

Tickets £12, £10 concessions avaialble from the Bike Shed Box Office on  01392 434169  or online at www.bikeshedtheatre.co.uk

For more information visit http://curiousmonkeytheatre.com