A Place for opportunity: The Block, representing the Council Estate in a youth theatre setting

Abstract

This article explores issues surrounding the representation of contested place by looking at the links between the Council Estate and social well-being in a specific project. The National Youth Theatre's The Block, was a new writing piece premiered as part of their 'Playing Up II' programme. Playing Up II attempted to offer access to higher education in the performing arts to those not in education, employment or training (NEETS). The article focuses on the play's portrayal of the problematic Council Estate space and uses Bourdieu's 'habitus' to analyse the way in which the performance process mediated the social structures of opportunity available to participants. The article explores the issues of representation, aspiration, opportunity and spatial practice that arose during the course of the project. The work in this article has arisen as part of a larger project that considers the representation of council estates in live performance.

Exploring the impact on the health and well-being of young adults’ participation in ‘The Club’

“…Previous research highlights the correlation between learning and well-being, satisfaction, optimism and efficacy (Feinstein and Hammond 2004;Feinstein et al 2008). Additionally, participants felt they were providing a learning experience for others through challenging perceptions with their acts, which aligns with previous research findings regarding the ability of theatre and performance-based work to appreciate the experiences of individuals (Low 2010), and enhance representation and aspiration (Beswick 2012).…”

“…Torrissen (2015) suggested that collaborative theatre projects provide radically different solutions to the health problems encountered by individuals than those offered by the biomedical model of health, since they focus on resources, personhood, enablement, social support and empowerment to promote health and well-being, rather than on treatment and diagnosis. Beswick (2012) reports on the role that a National Youth Theatre educational outreach initiative played in the opportunity structures for young people, in addition to issues of representation and aspiration. However, performance also has particular associated challenges and has been recognized as a potentially stress-inducing activity.…”

Authenticity and Representation: Council Estate Plays at the Royal Court

“…38 This exchange echoes the popular belief that there is a correlative relationship between the council estate environment and the supposed 'pathological' behaviour of estate residents. 39 The characters' cycles of crimi nal, ostensibly immoral behaviour (spiralling into debt due to unwise spending habits, involvement in crime, misogyny, violence), are behaviours often associated with estate residents. The exchange between David and the gang, and the above exchange between David and Kojo, take place on the basketball court of the estate.…”