How it all started
Following the three tragic deaths of teenagers associated with Chickenshed, the company embarked on producing a piece of theatre that could be used as a positive tool in the fight against the savagery of knife crime and gang violence.
One of the teenagers was Shaquille Smith who at 14 years of age was the youngest child to die as a result of knife crime in the UK in 2008. Both Shaquille's cousins, Daniel Banton and Jojo Morrall, became personally involved in the performance of the piece.
Panel, Show, and Celebration
On Wed 31 Jul, we took the opportunity to reflect on the lasting impact of Crime of the Century, a production that's been touching hearts for over 16 years, shedding light on important issues like gang involvement, knife crime, and social exclusion.
We kicked off the event with an open discussion panel led by Jojo Morrall, that discussed the impact of crime and how it all begun. The audience then moved to our Rayne Theatre to watch the impactful show, followed by a celebration with food and drinks in our cafe.
Crime of the Century
Crime of the Century is a hard-hitting, raw piece of theatre which explores the issues surrounding gang violence.
It would be senseless for this production not to tour every senior school in Britain. The poignancy and power of Chickenshed’s piece earns it the right to be noticed and commended; not only by theatre critics but by politicians.
Glimpse of the show
The excellence of the performance, coupled with the quality of the workshop helped the children to contemplate these really difficult issues in a safe, interactive and engaging environment.
Jojo Morrall
Head of Education Programmes & Projects (Outreach)
Head of Education Programmes and Projects (Outreach)