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“Part fools, put up your swords, you know not what you do.”
This line comes from the opening of Romeo & Juliet, in response to an outbreak of street violence. Hate is spoken of in equal measure with love, and it is that hate, coupled with the use of swords and knives, that leads to the play’s heart-breaking conclusion. Though 400 years old, Shakespeare’s tragedy is in many respects more relevant than ever.
In 2024, crimes involving the use of knives, many leading to tragic loss of life, continues to be a present occurrence in communities across the UK. Thankfully, Surrey has a relatively low number of incidents, but it is nevertheless a truth that these atrocities are a present reality, for people young and old.
“From our extensive outreach work we know that theatre can be a powerful vehicle for change. We we want Romeo & Juliet to have legacy for our community beyond the performances, and we’re looking forward to working alongside these inspirational partners to create this important special event.” Sarah Gobran, GSC Co-Founder
To help raise awareness of the facts around knife crime, and how we can all play a part in how to help prevent it, we're using our production of Romeo & Juliet to bring together a number of organisations for a special event at Guildford Cathedral.
Central to the event will be a talk from Martin Cosser, CEO & Founder of campaign charity Charlie’s Promise. Martin is the father of 17-year-old Charlie, who was stabbed four times at a house party in July 2023. Martin has made it his life’s work to raise awareness of these crimes and the immeasurable damage they bring.
Charlie's Promise is dedicated to helping the fight against the rising issue of knife crime in Surrey and across the UK.
Donations received for this event will go to Charlie’s Promise.
To open the evening, our Saturday drama group of 12-18 year olds are creating a special piece of Forum Theatre based a key scene from Romeo & Juliet involving a knife attack. This will be followed by a performance by students from the University of Surrey:
“We are delighted to be able to participate in this important event, in collaboration with such inspirational partners. The theatre of a courtroom creates an innovative teaching space. The scenarios explored in our Knife Angel-inspired workshops offer a powerful illustration of the catastrophic impact which violent and thoughtless decisions can have on both the victims of crime, and those whose actions cause harm, injury and death.” Dr Katy Peters, Solicitor Senior Lecturer (Tort, Medical Law & Ethics) & Director of Employability (Law)
There will also be additional talks from PubWatch, Street Angels and ExperienceGuildford.
During the interval a series of films will be shown created by students in response to the Knife Angel that visited Guildford Cathedral in 2023, along with stalls offering further information and advice.
“Guildford Cathedral is delighted to be part of this event. After hosting the Knife Angel during March 2023, it is great to be working back with some of our partners again, by continuing the Legacy of its visit to Guildford. The event by GSC enables important resources and messages to be heard once again about the impact of violence and aggression in our communities.” Nicola Pratt, Head of Development, Guildford Cathedral
Throughout May and June, we're also visiting the schools who are part of the Romeo & Juliet Youth Ensemble with special knife crime awareness workshops in partnership with The Kiyan Prince Foundation.
For press requests, please email the team at Chloé Nelkin Consulting on info@chloenelkinconsulting.com
CONTENT NOTICES
This event discusses street violence, first-hand accounts of family bereavement, and performances contain depictions of gang related violence. It also references the use of knives. Suitable for 10+
