Displacement, disability and sex addiction as three interwoven stories from characters on the margins of society are explored in Cardboard Citizens most ambitious national tour to date which comes to Manchester next month.
With the Welfare State on the agenda in the build-up to the General Election, this new play explores the lives of three ‘job-seekers’ and the pressures their status puts on them and those around them.
In the second part of the evening, using Forum Theatre, the audience is invited to join the debate to look at strategies for the characters which might lead to a better outcome, both in the world of the play and in society at large.
The play will tour theatres, homeless hostels, day centres, and prisons, creating discussion and dialogue in these venues. Benefit is directed by Cardboard Citizens’ Artistic Director Adrian Jackson and features a cast drawn from Cardboard Citizens members, all of whom have experienced homelessness.
English graduate Rosa is haunted by the history of her Chilean family, Craig suffers from a sex addiction that is destroying his relationship and Patrick is rendered near-speechless by his inability to understand the Kafkaesque world into which he is thrust seeking support. By telling the stories of these individual true-to-life struggles, Benefit looks at the impact of austerity and asks how we can best deal with the world we are now in.
Cardboard Citizens Artistic Director and CEO Adrian Jackson said “The show looks at people living precarious lives affected by features of the modern world such as welfare changes, benefit sanctions and zero hours contracts has. By taking Benefit to the very places where people are most likely to have been touched by the issues it raises and opening a space for audiences to discuss those them, we hope to have a positive impact in those communities.”
Sarah Woods is a playwright and activist whose work focuses around choice and change in the face of current global challenges. She regularly works with Cardboard Citizens, most recently with her play The Help, which also toured around hostels in the UK.
Her work has been seen at Soho Theatre, Hampstead Theatre, the RSC, BBC TV and radio as well as many regional theatres. Woods’ previous credits also include The Thief of Baghdad (Royal Opera House Linbury Studio in partnership with UNICEF) and My Life with Flu, which aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2014 to critical acclaim.
Benefit Z-Arts, 335 Stretford Road, Hulme M15 5ZA
23-24th April 7.30pm, Thurs matinee 2.30pm | £8 (£6 concs)
