Wednesday, 10 February 2021
Sociologists from the University of Nottingham are forging an innovative partnership with the award-winning LUNG theatre company, with their latest collaboration being broadcast this week on BBC Radio 4’s prestigious afternoon drama slot.
Who Cares is based on interviews over two years with young carers in Salford, with their insights used verbatim to create a gritty drama. The play was created by Matt Woodhead, one of LUNG’s co-Artistic Directors with Helen Monks, who have now been made honorary research fellows with the School of Sociology and Social Policy.
The production and its educational resources aim to highlight the ‘hidden’ lives of young carers in society and signpost the support available to them. Who Cares was broadcast at 2.15pm on Tuesday 9 February and is available on BBC Sounds. The play has also been adapted as a film, which will be released in schools this summer, and has twice gone on national tours, including shows at the House of Lords and Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
LUNG is now working with Assistant Professor in Social Work Dr Lisa Warwick on The Children's Inquiry, a musical exploring the care system for children, which will give ‘unheard’ young people a voice, spark debate and create educational resources for students, teachers, social workers, police and care workers.
Dr Warwick is a qualified social worker and her current research is focused on child protection and keeping families together in challenging circumstances.
This kind of collaboration really enables complex ideas and research to be disseminated to a broad audience, including children, parents and professionals and the wider public in a digestible, meaningful and powerful way. It also gives previously unheard voices a chance to be heard, which can influence change.
Head of the School of Sociology and Social Policy, Professor Ian Shaw, said: “LUNG has a national reputation for its innovative approach to campaign-led verbatim theatre, where people’s actual words give a voice to communities and groups who might otherwise go unheard.
“We share their commitment to informed and evidence-based debate and presenting research to wider audiences. Working with Matt and Helen is an exciting opportunity for our academics to explore opportunities to share our research in creative and engaging ways, with the potential to influence policymakers and ultimately change lives.”
LUNG is currently collaborating with Principal Research Fellow Dr Philippa Tomczak on a production about prisons and the justice system, and a project exploring detention centres and deportations will also draw on world-leading research by the School of Sociology and Social Policy.
Helen Monks said: “This is a brilliant opportunity for us - it’s opened such a door for our work. All of our work is research-based and has academic rigour, so our honorary research fellowships have been brilliant at feeding into our practice.
This cross-disciplinary practice has been incredibly fulfilling. It has been very successful in creating accessible and entertaining ways to educate audiences on specific areas of research.
LUNG’s partnership with the School of Sociology and Social Policy came about through its play, Trojan Horse, inspired by Emeritus Professor John Holmwood’s research in the furore surrounding the alleged Islamification of schools in Birmingham. Professor Holmwood’s research inspired the production and he joined the show’s tour, sitting in the post-show discussion panels, including at the Houses of Parliament and Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it won a Fringe First Award. Trojan Horse went on to win an Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award and has raised serious questions about Prevent, the UK’s counter-extremism strategy and the teaching of ‘fundamental British values’ in schools.1
To coincide with the BBC Radio 4 airing of Who Cares, LUNG is launching the Digi Fund, to help provide young carers with access to digital technology. One third of the 700,000 young people caring for a loved one in the UK come from low income families and many do not access to WiFi, laptops or smartphones to help with schoolwork or manage their caring responsibilities. It is part of the Who Cares Campaign, launched in 2019, which has been working throughout the pandemic to support young carers.
Who Cares was funded by Arts Council England, CuriousMinds and the Oglesby Charitable Trust and co-produced by Salford arts centre The Lowry and LUNG in partnership with Gaddum, a charity providing health and wellbeing services in Greater Manchester.
Story credits
1. Rethinking moderation in a pragmatist frame, John Holmwood and Alex Smith (eds) Sociologies of Moderation: Problems of Democracy, Expertise and Media) Sociological Review Monographs, 2013.
Writing Justice/Performing Injustice: Reflections on Research, Publicity and the Birmingham Trojan Horse Affair, Civic Sociology 1(1), 2020 (with Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead).
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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