Cardboard Citizens is the UK's only homeless people's professional

theatre company Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

, and the leading practitioner of

Forum Theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...

and the

Theatre of the Oppressed The Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) describes theatrical forms that the Brazilian theatre practitioner Augusto Boal first elaborated in the 1970s, initially in Brazil and later in Europe. Boal was influenced by the work of the educator and theoris ...

methodology in the UK. The acclaimed theatre company works with people who have experience of homelessness or those at risk of becoming

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

to create theatre that makes a real and positive difference to society and those living in its margins.

History and productions

Cardboard Citizens was founded in 1991 by Adrian Jackson, MBE, in the Cardboard City that had sprung up in what was then called the Bullring in Waterloo as a London Bubble project. For the first four years it toured

Forum theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging with ...

people to other homeless people throughout the UK, performing in hostels, day centres, arches, the street and conference centres. Cardboard Citizens became an independent entity in 1995 and now regularly tours acclaimed Forum Theatre productions written by playwrights including

Kae Tempest Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest; born 22 December 1985) is an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright. At the age of 16, Tempest was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in ...

(''Glasshouse''), Ali Taylor (''Cathy'') and Sarah Woods (''Meta'') across the UK to theatres, prisons, hostels and community venues. It has also mounted a number of critically acclaimed theatre productions in both site-specific locations and as collaborations with other larger organisations, including the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...

(RSC) and

English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in English ...

. These have included the

Evening Standard Theatre Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standa ...

-winning ''Mincemeat'', ''A Few Man Fridays'', ''

Pericles Pericles (; grc-gre, Περικλῆς; c. 495 – 429 BC) was a Greek politician and general during the Golden Age of Athens. He was prominent and influential in Athenian politics, particularly between the Greco-Persian Wars and the Pelopo ...

'' and ''

Timon of Athens ''Timon of Athens'' (''The Life of Tymon of Athens'') is a play written by William Shakespeare and probably also Thomas Middleton in about 1606. It was published in the '' First Folio'' in 1623. Timon lavishes his wealth on parasitic companio ...

'' (both RSC). In 2016 the company staged a Community Ensemble theatrical staging of

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty (''Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessne ...

's ''

Cathy Come Home ''Cathy Come Home'' is a 1966 BBC television play about homelessness. It was written by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach. A 1998 ''Radio Times'' readers' poll voted it the "best single television drama" and a ...

'' to mark the film's 50th anniversary and the Theatre Company's 25th anniversary. This Event Theatre work fits with Cardboard Citizens' broader mission of using theatre to ask questions of individual, society and nation, why are things the way they are and how could they be better. In December 2017, Cardboard Citizens' Founder, CEO & Artistic Director Adrian Jackson was awarded an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

for Services to the Arts in the 2018 New Year's Honours list.

Members

Anyone with experience of homelessness or who is vulnerable to homelessness can become a Member of Cardboard Citizens and on average Cardboard Citizens reach 1,500 homeless and at-risk people every year. The free Membership programme offers access to one to one advice, guidance and information, and enables Members to take part in Cardboard Citizens activities, learn new skills in a secure environment with its programmes of performing arts workshops at the Theatre Company's home in Whitechapel, workshops at Crisis Skylight centres and other venues across London.

Theatre of the Oppressed Training

Cardboard Citizens is one of the world's most respected

training organisations. It offers bespoke and off-the-shelf training in all aspects of Theatre of the Oppressed methodology: Forum Theatre, Jokering, Rainbow of Desires, Legislative Theatre and Writing for Forum.

Young People's Programme

ACT NOW is Cardboard Citizens’ innovative performing arts programme for young people aged 16–25-years old who are not in education employment or training (NEET), or have experience of homelessness. The free programme gives young people the opportunity to work with a professional artistic team to learn theatre skills including acting, directing, devising, script writing and more in a relaxed, welcoming and friendly environment. ACT Now offers regular drama and music workshops that aim to build participants’ confidence and social skills, all of which are free and open access. Members can also gain Arts Award and PEARL qualifications alongside performance projects.

Creative Residencies

As part of its work with homeless and at-risk communities, Cardboard Citizens offer intensive month-long participatory programmes and training, engaging homeless and vulnerable communities outside London, and training local housing association, social sector staff and local artists in the art of

. The programmes give communities the chance to raise awareness of the issues they face using Forum Theatre to share stories and issues.

Ambassador

Kate Winslet Kate Elizabeth Winslet (; born 5 October 1975) is an English actress. Known for her work in independent films, particularly period dramas, and for her portrayals of headstrong and complicated women, she has received numerous accolades, incl ...

has been the Ambassador for Cardboard Citizens since 2007. On Cardboard Citizens' website, Winslet is quoted as saying: ''"Whether the audience are homeless or not, what has always struck me is the level of engagement or debate that Cardboard Citizens’ work stimulates as well as the profound impact it has on participants and spectators alike."'' Actors

David Morrissey David Mark Joseph Morrissey (born 21 June 1964) is an English actor and filmmaker. Described by the British Film Institute as "one of the most versatile English actors of his generation", he is noted for the meticulous preparation and research h ...

and

Rory Kinnear Rory Michael Kinnear (born 17 February 1978) is an English actor and playwright who has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. In 2014, he won the Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of William S ...

joined the organisation as Ambassadors in 2017.

External links

Cardboard Citizens website

Guardian review of ''Cathy Come Home'' at the Barbican

Article by Adrian Jackson on working with actors with experience of homelessness

Article by Adrian Jackson on creating ''Mincemeat''

Kate Tempest on ''Glasshouse''
{{authority control Theatre of the Oppressed Theatre companies in England