New Kids From The Bloc

What do you think of Ashley's play?

Rob Mooney
I work for Pendle Borough Council as Neighbourhood Manager for Nelson. We commissioned the play from Ashley's company and I've now seen it performed 4 times to the general public in Nelson and Brierfield and to hundreds of 15 year olds in local high schools. It provides a safe public space of a kind that is very rare. People can get the chance to share views and challenge views that don't really get voiced elsewhere. It's really about providing opportunities for people to learn more about each other and the benefit of this is that dispelling ignorance and misunderstanding can help reduce fear and prejudice. I think it's great to have it on this site because P Hill, for example, might not come to a public performance but can have his or her say here. I would be interested to hear more from P Hill on his/her views about integration and white flight.

Ashley Barnes
I thought I'd add a bit of context for this play. It was written with the intention of raising issues and getting people talking. There are no solutions in the piece, but rather challenges. It's also been performed as a 'live' theatre performance at which point the audience is encouraged to question the characters and to suggest other ways that they can behave. If anything it poses the question 'how can we learn to fear each other less?' rather than 'how can we be friends?' More information on the project can be found at www.deadearnest.co.uk

P Hill
Why Dont The powers that be stop forcing this down are throats the more we are forced to intergreat the more votes the BNP get its times to wake up and smell the roses when asians move to an estate the whies move out thats a fact ask the people look at the votes