‘Karen and Lee’ is intended for performance in secondary schools and community venues September - October. This one-hour, interactive drama workshop (based on our long running play ‘Kids Having Kids’) is supported by a resource pack with related exercises and activities to be used by teachers and students as part of ongoing relationship and alcohol awareness work. The workshop investigates the potential consequences of unprotected sex at an early age.

 ‘Karen and Lee’ like its predecessor ‘Kids having Kids’ is a project which asks difficult questions about how teenagers exercise choice and accept responsibility in relation to their own sexuality and alcohol use. In this interactive drama workshop, students are encouraged to develop a heightened awareness of the consequences of becoming a parent at a very young age and to devise the interpersonal strategies necessary in order to develop a responsible attitude towards alcohol use and sexual health.

‘Karen and Lee’ is designed to fit inside a single lesson and is interactive throughout delivery, inviting audience members to become counsellors, assessing risk and giving advice and support to the teenage parent in the story.

STAFF RESPONSES

Kirkby College Academy 

‘I thought the performance on sexual health today was brilliant. It was very accessible to the pupils and covered some very uncomfortable truths that youngsters don’t always have the freedom to hear/speak about. The pupils were gripped and very interested. It was fact-heavy, frank and direct’

Selston High School 

‘Very engaging and informative production. Thought provoking and accessible to the audience. This will certainly have a positive impact on young people’s lives’ 

‘Brilliant’ 

‘Excellent performance as usual. Very important messages were given in a serious but engaging way. The use of role play helped with the impact the performance had, on our students. A normal SRE classroom lesson on this topic, would not have had anywhere near the same impact’

Nottingham Academy – Greenwood Site 

I have seen Pintsize theatre's work since they started in 2000. I have always been and continue to be impressed with the actors’ ability to engage students. They raise difficult issues that are often unable to be discussed at home and provide students with vital information. Beyond the information they encourage students to take responsibility but also empower them with the confidence to remove themselves from situations they do not want to be in. Pintsize show young people that it is ok to do the right thing for themselves, even if that isn't the message from the crowd. It is always a pleasure to have Ian and his company in school. The impact of what he does should not be underestimated. 

Sarah O'Flynn - Teacher in Charge of Performing Arts

STUDENT RESPONSES

Magnus Academy 

‘It helped us understand the risks and it was really good’ 

‘It was great and it raised awareness for young children who might be in danger and for young people to know the risk’ 

‘Got all the messages across, made us all more aware. Very helpful’ 

‘This is very helpful and is a good way of learning about this. It is amazing. Also got all messages across’

South Nottinghamshire Academy

‘It was really good acting’ 

‘The performance was really good’ 

‘I really liked it and your acting was very good! 

Nottingham Academy – Greenwood Site 

I really like the way they turned the issue into everyday life using forum theatre and only using two characters. 

The performance I watched made me think about real issues that occur in our society today. Theatre in Education isn’t like a normal performance where things that are acted out are for entertainment purposes only. I liked how everyone actually learnt and took something from the performance, unlike other pieces where the audience doesn’t interact with the performers. 

The performance, in my opinion, was very good and very effective. It made me think into real life issues and I compared them both. It made us connect to real life problems and we understood them more. It made us more aware and made us think. 

I thought that the performance was amazing. They truly captured the characters’ personalities and I really liked the way they stayed in role but dealt with some of the immaturity from the audience, they made it part of the scene and scenarios.