Providing young people access to the arts awakens a platform to express their views, opinions and issues. Unlock Drama aims to actively encourage creativity giving young people a voice through drama. Unlock Drama understands the importance of nurturing young people’s progression into adulthood by using creative tools to develop hands-on learning. Drama empowers young people to be proud of their individuality and go forward in the world dynamically and with assurance.

Unlock Drama supports and values young people as they are our future.

Drama used with young people at risk encourages active participation allowing the young people to creatively explore the paramount issues they face in their lives.

Unlock Drama enables a safe space to explore issue-based subjects and raise self-esteem. Drama is an effective tool with young people at risk as it provides an inclusive environment that evokes engagement and positive results. This enables young people to create product-based work that challenges social stigmas, labels and judgement. Drama gives the young people the ability to challenge negative perceptions and go forth in a more positive light.

Recovering from any addiction is a hard challenge to conquer but by no means impossible. There are many underlying circumstances linked to substance misuse such as unemployment, peer groupings or family conflict.

Unlock Drama aims to explore substance misuse issues by investigating societal pressures, triggers and self-esteem issues.

Unlock Drama uses real-life scenarios through improvised theatre techniques to encourage participants to understand the underlying reasons behind their substance misuse issues. By identifying these key triggers it offers a confrontation of past and present issues that play a vital role in individuals’ substance misuse.

There are many key factors surrounding homelessness. Many homeless participants have suffered unemployment, family feuds, substance misuse problems, antisocial behaviour and criminal activity. Often participants with lack of control over their circumstances experience a negative effect on their self-esteem and well-being.

Unlock Drama aims to give homeless participants ownership over their lives through creative means. In this setting drama acts as a tool to explore past and present issues that have led the participants to their current situation which can have empowering outcomes.

Unlock Drama aims to give incarcerated participants freedom to enable self-expression, a sense of belonging and to unravel broken identities. Unlock Drama offers a non-judgemental space in which participants can experience a positive outlet.

Within incarcerated settings so much of the participant’s lives are controlled within the daily regime. Unlock Drama produces a safe environment where participants can unlock their imaginations, think creatively and gain access to new skills.

Unlock Drama uses Theatre in Prison to heighten participants’ confidence and self-esteem which inevitably has an effect on their attitude and behaviour. Unlock Drama aims to unlock social skills such as team-building, leadership skills and communication skills. These social skills are key attributes that are utilised in day-to-day life socially and professionally. Using drama to unlock these skills means that incarcerated participants can apply and transfer these skills in their day-to-day lives and upon their release. Unlock Drama hopes these skills will go some way towards stamping out their offending behaviour.

Unlock Drama endeavours to unpick the knock-on effect crime can have not only on the offenders but on its victims and society. By exploring Restorative Justice it can have empowering effects on offenders when they consider the negative effect their crime has had. Confronting victim awareness through drama can have rehabilitative outcomes.

Unlock Drama offers projects that strengthen family ties. Restoring Family Ties projects for incarcerated Dads are empowering, magical and provide the opportunity to give something positive back.

Unlock Drama invites family members and children of the participants to watch the final performance. Working professionals are also invited to watch the performance to challenge social stigmas. It is our hope that the participants’ hard work, pride in their performance and above all their honesty will make audience members feel proud and overwhelmed at the end product.

Participants that have been incarcerated can be extremely fearful of their release. Some participants have many anxieties and frustrations awaiting them on the outside and this can cause destructive and negative behaviour and could result in re-offending. Unlock Drama aims to help participants explore these issues through drama.

Unlock Drama aims to keep self-esteem and confidence high so that participants have respect for themselves and how they behave day-to-day. Not only will this have beneficial effects for the individual, it will also have an all-round positive effect on their social, personal and professional lives.

Unlock Drama offers issue based workshops to ex-offenders to encourage them to continue their rehabilitation in the hope they will not re-offend.

Unlock Drama gives a supportive environment and will help participants to sustain and apply the Social and Life Skills learnt through drama in their day to day lives.

Unemployment is one of the biggest issues within the UK. Once you are unemployed it is extremely difficult to get back into work, especially because unemployment can affect your motivation, mental health, confidence and self-esteem.

Unlock Drama aims to offer workshops to help you get back on the employment ladder! Unlock Drama has designed workshops that encourage employability by exploring: interview techniques, communication skills and leadership skills.

Unlock Drama endeavours to gain access to participants’ strengths by unlocking their potential through the use of drama by using a variety of drama games and exercises. Unlock Drama helps to boost participants’ confidence and self-esteem enabling participants to have a more positive outlook on the world and in this instance employability.