City of One
by Mike Akers, with music by Benji Bower
Director: Heather Williams / David Straun
Choreographer: Michelle Gaskell
Designer: Katie Sykes
Liam is a teenager whose foster carer has been taken ill and is temporarily placed with new foster parents. We see the story of his placement, the history of the breakdown of his natural family and the crisis point as a planned meeting with his father fails to happen. An ensemble provides a vision of Liam’s internal world, his “city of one”.
The play portrays a system struggling to cope with the size, stresses and traumas of the problems, but ultimately, through the commitment of individuals to do their best in difficult circumstances, delivers an irrepressible glimmer of optimism.
Specially commissioned by the company to coincide with the Government’s release of the White Paper, Care Matters: Time for Change. The play was performed by an adult professional cast and an inclusive company of thirty young people, many of whom had experience of the care system.
First performed at Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol the play subsequently toured to London (Westminster) and various venues regionally and nationally.
Photographer: Graham Burke
“A key observation of the success connected to these initiatives was the personal commitment and vision of the two Directors of the Company, which cannot be over stated, in terms of time, patience, emotional energy and artistic input and talent.”
- Dr Debra Salmon, Former Professor of Community Health, University of the West of England
“Myrtle continues to raise the bar for work produced by young casts and cements its reputation for making ground-breaking theatre which movesand affects its audience.”
- Venue, Bristol and Bath
“Tremendous artistic integrity, tremendous passion and incredibly moving.”
- Sir Al Aynsley-Green, Former Children’s Commissioner for England