Matt Woodhead

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    Interview: C’mon Kids, Get Writing

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    Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead from Lung Theatre on their latest project, Unmute

    We’ve had Matt Woodhead from Lung Theatre on our podcast way back in Episode 7, when he was telling us all about the Who Cares play and campaign that emerged from it. This time around he came along with his colleague from Lung, Helen Monks.

    Not ones to sit back and take it easy, Lung are now in the midst of seeking out young writers for Unmute, a writing competition for 11 – 18 year olds. It’s a chance to write a monolgue of up to 500 words, with winning entries getting the chance to be performed live on stage as well as being published.

    Helen and Matt tell us all about how to enter the competition, how they gope to hear from voices all around the country, and just what they feel might make a great submission.

    Helen also briefly mentions The Trojan Horse Affair podcast, which looked at what really happened in Birmingham when it was alleged Islamic extremists were infiltrating the city’s schools. The podcast can be found here.

    The closing date for entries is 8 May. You can also find lots of support on how to write and submit your entries on their website here and their Twitter account here.

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      Interview: Who Cares? Matt Woodhead does

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      Matt Woodhead on Who Cares? The play and the campaign.

      Our latest podcast interview is with Matt Woodhead, co-Artistic Director of Lung Theatre. Matt wrote Who Cares, a play about young carers. The play led to the creation of the Who Cares Campaign which has gone on to help hundreds of children who act as a primary carer for other members of their family.

      You can read a previous interview we did with Matt here. You can also see our review of the play when it was perfromed at 2019’s Edinburgh Fringe here.

      The radio version of the play is still available via BBC Sounds here.

      You can follow us on Spotify or Itunes (plus many other other podcast providers) for future editions of our interview series. Further information can be found on our Podcast here

      Who Cares? National Tour

      ‘The Alarm Rings. I take a breath. Then it starts’

      Sitting at the back of the bus, skipping the lunch queue and skiving lessons. At school Nicole, Jade and Connor are just like everybody else. But when they get home, things are very different. 

      Nicole started caring for her mum when she was four. Every morning Nicole helps her get washed, put on clothes and eat breakfast. Jade has always cared for her brother, but she never expected to look after dad as well – now she juggles two lots of appointments, two lots of prescriptions, two lots of assessment forms. Connor cares for his mum. But he doesn’t like to talk about it. 

      ​Adapted from real-life testimonies, this bold and pertinent piece of documentary theatre examines our failing care system, the impact of austerity and what happens when a child becomes the parent.

      ​Made in partnership with The Lowry & Greater Manchester Charity, Gaddum and its Salford Carers Service. With funding by Arts Council England, Curious Minds and the Oglesby Charitable Trust.

      Full tour dates and booking can be found here More

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      Feature: Young Carers Action Day

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      Last month we interviewed Matt Woodhead, author of Who Cares?, as well as Campaign Manager for the Who Cares Campaign. Matt’s passion for young carers had a profound effect on us at Everything Theatre so we wanted to do more for him and to support Young Carers Action Day. What follows is the joint work of Matt, LUNG theatre, Who Cares Campaign and some of the young carers supported by the organisations involved with the campaign.
      And if you can, please do show your support by making a donation towards the Who Cares Campaign.

      Today is Young Carers Action Day. At LUNG we are standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

      My message to young carers is that you are not alone

      In the middle of last year’s lockdown madness, there was a ray of sunshine at LUNG HQ. The loo roll shelves in the supermarket were bare and theatres were empty, but for us there was a glimmer of hope: Gitika Buttoo joined our team.
      Every week for the last five months, Gitika has been spearheading LUNG’s Young Carer Creative Makers. In partnership with young carers services and their local theatres, Gitika has run online workshops with young carers in Salford, Kent, Cheshire West and North Wales. The mission? To train 30 teenagers up to be young leaders and radical artists.
      There are an estimated 700,000 young carers in the UK who have been providing unpaid full time care to family members or a loved one during the Coronavirus lockdown. One in twelve young people experience being a young carer. That’s two in every class.
      Today is Young Carers Action Day. This is an annual event, organised by Carers Trust, aimed at raising awareness for young carers and the incredible contribution they make to their families and local communities. To mark the occasion, the Young Carer Creative Makers are getting active and banging the drum for other teenagers like them across the country.
      Tonight, these 30 young carers are doing a special performance for their family members, friends, teachers, councillors and decision makers. Ahead of the performance, we caught up with the group. Below is what they had to say, in their own words. On Young Carers Action Day 2021, this is what they want you to know:
      A message from young carers for the arts…
      ‘Every single young carer needs a free creative space to express themselves and who they are. Although we have big responsibilities, it doesn’t mean we don’t have the potential to become artists, writers, authors. You name it, we can achieve it.’
      ‘Sometimes, just being a young person is a lot. We need to have a space and a place to breathe.’
      A message from young carers for grown-ups…
      ‘We are not children, but we are not adults. We are kind of in a category in-between. I don’t think grown-ups understand how much our caring responsibilities affect our lives and how we’re different because of that.’
      ‘I have been bullied. When I told people in my class I am a young carer, they said “You can’t be a young carer, you are autistic.” They think I am saying it for attention. That’s why we need more support – or more awareness in schools, at least, so everyone can understand.’
      ‘Teachers need to acknowledge and not stereotype us as typical teenagers. If something has happened at home and we get told off for not concentrating in class it can be overwhelming. Just being acknowledged properly as a young carer in school could be such a powerful thing.’
      ‘I told my teachers several times that I was a young carer and it didn’t matter. They didn’t do anything. I asked for help but they didn’t do anything. This needs to change.’
      ‘Young carers don’t want to look weak. We want to look strong (not just for us, but for our family too). We may not want to express our emotions, but if adults can learn about young carers, they can help without us always having to ask for it.’
      A message from young carers for other young carers…
      ‘If you are an aspiring artist, don’t let limited supplies limit you. With even only a pencil and paper you can produce the most amazing things.’ 
      ‘Make sure you look after your mental health. I sometimes bottle up my feelings and it can come out in lots of different ways. Take time and don’t put pressure on yourself. Everyone needs a distraction from what is going on around them sometimes. You need to put yourself first.’
      ‘You are not alone, there is support out there. Like, whether that is someone who you know or your friends or your family, there is always a support there. You’ve just got to ask.’
      In the last five months since Gitika’s very first session, everyone at LUNG has been bowled over by the flair and tenacity of the Young Carer Creative Makers. As well as juggling home schooling and managing their caring responsibilities, all of them have flourished and grown as independent artists. And it’s only the beginning. A fire has been lit by Gitika and these 30 young carers.
      As we emerge from the third lockdown, we need to rally around our young carers. The loo roll shelf may be replenished and theatres might be planning to open their doors, but we can’t return to the status quo. In the arts and across society, we need to be doing more. 
      This Young Carers Action Day, take these ten messages with you – not only for today, but for the rest of 2021 and beyond. Now isn’t the time to sit back. Now is the time to get up and do something. Now is the time to act.
      Matt Woodhead is the Co-Artistic Director of LUNG and author of Who Cares.
      Young Carers Creative Makers is a partnership between LUNG, WCD Young Carers, Imago Young Carers, Crossroads Together, Gaddum, The Lowry, Quarterhouse in Folkestone, Theatr Clwyd and Action Transport Theatre.
      If you think you might be a young carer, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1rsZS8dzkkVSqQhJXHY67kj/information-and-support-carers
      To support young carers facing digital poverty, visit www.whocarescampaign.co.uk/digi-fund
      To find out what you can do to support young carers, visit www.whocarescampaign.co.uk/how-to-help
      To listen to Who Cares on BBC Radio 4, visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000s191 More

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      Interview: Matt Woodhead on Who Cares?

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      These young people are literally the next generation of artists. They have so much to say and so much to give to the world.

      Matt Woodhead is not only the author of Who Cares?, but also doubles up as Campaign Manager for the Who Cares Campaign. So when we had the chance to chat with him, how could we possibly say no to someone doing such amazing work for young adults right now?
      Who Cares examines the difficulties experienced by young carers in the UK. It’s a co-production between LUNG and The Lowry and was made in partnership with Gaddum, an organisation supporting young carers in Salford. Having toured the country extensively since 2015, it’s now been adapted for radio. It received its premiere on BBC Radio 4 on 9 February, and is now available until 8 March on BBC Sounds here.
      Who Cares? Trailer
      Hi Matt, first things first then, tell us a little about the play.
      Have you not heard of it by now?! Where have you been?
      Erm, well, you know, here and there, so sorry we missed the show originally.
      Who Cares is a verbatim play that began its life in 2015. It’s adapted from over 100 hours of interviews with a group of incredible young carers from Salford.
      In the play, we follow Connor, Jade and Nicole as they juggle the dramas of every day teenage life with caring for a loved one. Adapted from the real words of young carers, it’s heart-warming, real and doesn’t pull any punches.

      Lizzie Mounter
      Luke Grant
      Jessica Temple

      So the play’s been around for a while, what’s the reaction to it been?
      Ah, it has had so many different lives. It was only supposed to be performed for one night at The Lowry but here we are…six years later!
      The show has been performed in schools and youth clubs across the country, as well as having a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 10,000 people have seen the play and it’s bagged a few awards. 200 young people were also signposted for support when they realised – as a result of watching the play – they might be a young carer.
      For me the highlight was performing at The House of Lords. Antonia-Rae, Ciaron, Kerry and Paige (the real young carers involved in the making of the play) made speeches and lobbied decision makers to improve services for young carers across the country. It was really special. 
      Has the stage version altered much for the radio?
      Oh yes, it has been changed to fit the form! Any writer gets a bit nervous when they have to change a script, but once I unclenched by bum, dried my sweaty palms, it was totally fine.
      The production has been pieced together beautifully by Toby Swift and it feels really at home on radio. Verbatim theatre has a knack for doing that… In the radio version we also hear from two of the young carers involved in making the show. It’s so cool to think hundreds of thousands of people have now heard their voices. It’s great!!
      I also do an introduction at the start of the piece. When we were recording it, the producers wouldn’t let me put on my Radio 4 voice. I was well gutted, coz I had been practicing it all week…
      There is now also the Who Cares Campaign; what it’s aim?
      YES! The Who Cares Campaign was born from the play. Its aim is to campaign for better services for young carers across the UK. Right now we are launching a Digi Fund. One in three young carers are from low income families and many don’t have access to technology like laptops and phones. These things are vital for young people accessing school work in the pandemic and to help them fulfil their caring role. Through the Digi Fund we are trying to raise £5,000 to pay for young carers to get the digital support they need.
      So you believe theatre has the ability to drive real change?
      Oh my days – 100%! I’m obsessed (sorry this is my inner nerd speaking now) with this infographic from the Arts Council that shows a study they did with young people. It found that:
      When taking part in the arts, children from low income families are three times more likely to get a degree.
      Young people who participate in culture are 20% more likely to vote.
      (You can find the mentioned infographic here)
      Art can change young people’s lives, and soz this is a cliché…
      That’s ok, we write reviews, we are partial a good cliché.
      These young people are the future. We need to make sure once this pandemic is over we use culture to empower them to make their voices heard.
      Has the past year made this an even more vital issue?
      Ah, I need to be careful or I’m never gonna get off my soapbox .
      Like clichés, we love a soapbox, climb on board…
      YES! This lockdown has been so challenging, especially for young carers. At LUNG we have launched a Young Carers Creative Makers group. Each week young carers from Salford, Kent, Cheshire West and North Wales come together with our Engagement Manager / Associate Director Gitika Buttoo to make art.
      These young people are literally the next generation of artists. They have so much to say and so much to give to the world. They are all beavering away at the moment making something for Young Carers Action Day on 16 March. It’s going to be really special. I’ve had a preview of some of their work and they are definitely giving all us so-called ‘professional artists’ a run for our money.
      Most important question then, how can people support the campaign?
      The biggest thing you can do right now is donate to the Digi Fund. Any amount, big or small will change a young person’s life! You can find out more at – https://www.whocarescampaign.co.uk/digi-fund
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      Our absolute heartfelt thanks to Matt for taking the time to chat with us. Who Cares? is another example of where theatre is supporting the community in ways far beyond simply putting on a show! Please donate if you can. More