STORIES THAT HIT HOME presents

Written and performed by Claire Nelson

A woman opens the door at two in the morning and tries to hang on to normal. Lisa doesn't have the right words or know what questions to ask in this new world of crime and law. So, what happens when doing the right thing isn't the right thing anymore?

This solo show explores the world of knife crime from a fresh perspective as a woman is forced to confront the unfamiliar world her son has collided with and compromise on what she thinks she believes in.

"Lot of legal stuff being said that I don't even get and they ask if I'm an appropriate adult. Well yeah... I'm his mum?"

Throughout all this, Lisa maintains a lively down-to-earth approach to life, finding humour in the most random moments while showing the impact on a mother trying to hold it all together. Based on real events and lived experience.

Supported by Arts Council England.

On the opening night, Tue 31 Mar, audiences will hear live performances from community participants — local adults and young people who have taken part in creative writing workshops run by Nelson alongside two other mothers with lived experience of knife crime.

The Wed (1 Apr) and Thursday (2 Apr) performances will screen a short film made by Drop All Words Media, featuring extracts of participants’ work alongside interviews about their experiences. The result is something rarely seen in any theatre: a community’s raw, honest account of a crisis, shared by the people living it.