2014 Drama graduate Elle Payne recently starred as Cathy in Cathy Come Home by Cardboard Citizens at the Barbican Centre with a community ensemble of more than 20 Cardboard Citizens’ Members. This was the first ever theatrical adaptation of Ken Loach’s seminal film Cathy Come Home and was described as “remarkable” by the Guardian.
An audience of more than 1,400 watched the production while thousands more around the world tuned in to the live stream online.
Congratulations to Elle and the rest of the cast!
Cardboard Citizens has been making life-changing theatre with and for homeless people for over 20 years.
Columnist Samira Ahmed published an article about it in the Big Issue, a magazine sold by homeless and long-term unemployed people, last week. In it she discusses how even 50 years later, the story is still relevant in terms of homelessness and immigration. You can read her article here.
The show received great reviews:
**** The Guardian: “It was a remarkable event that produced contradictory emotions: admiration for the original work and anger at the fact that the situation it describes has got worse rather than better… what was moving about McBride’s production was seeing the 22-strong cast re-create the original work with such passion and energy… they took us into the world of tenements, hostels and campsites as if evoking a whole society.”
**** The Reviews Hub: “Cardboard Citizens’ adaptation stokes the same sense of righteous anger as audiences felt 50 years ago, and makes one wonder how much more it would take for real action on homelessness to finally take root.”