Looking for Callum

“I couldn’t have raised these issues without the play, I wouldn’t have known how to approach them, but the play has enabled me to have a great discussion about it with my class. It was brilliant!”  Teacher

“Children enjoyed the play but most importantly understood the issues raised. It made them think and question… Another fantastic and thought provoking drama from TIE” Teacher

“The story begins one night in a bus station in Leeds. It’s the story of a woman called Liz and a 10 year old boy called Ben. Also in the story are a small group of teenagers who are sitting just where you are…”

Liz is worried about Ben. It’s half-past 9 and he’s all on his own. He says he’s not going home, he’s going to his brother, Callum’s. He’s just waiting for someone to pick him up. But who is Ben waiting for and what’s he doing with £50 in his pocket? Can Liz and the audience find out what’s really going on before Ben disappears into the night?

Looking for Callum is a participatory play, devised in partnership with the BLAST Project, and is part of an Educational Theatre Programme that examines the issues around grooming & CSE, and supports work on health & wellbeing, safe relationships, homophobia & domestic abuse.

The programme consists of the participatory play, post play workshops and Teaching Support Materials, and is available for Year 5 classes in schools in the Morley Cluster in autumn 2019.

Our programmes are designed to enable classes to talk safely about sensitive issues relevant to their lives, increasing empathy and understanding of their own and others’ experiences; to engage all pupils, including those who don’t normally engage; to enable every child to participate at their own level; to draw on and validate the experience and knowledge of pupils, raising confidence & self-esteem and having a positive impact on learning and behaviour.