Coronavirus: Lyric Hammersmith and Simon Stephens launch playwriting project for keyworkers’ children

The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre is collaborating with Simon Stephens on a playwriting project for the children of keyworkers in its local area, in partnership with the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.

Teachers are being encouraged to sign up to the project, which will provide a bespoke pack of digital resources each week to “encourage curiosity, unlock the imagination and develop creative writing skills”.

Lyric Hammersmith artistic director Rachel O’Riordan said: “It is our mission to engage with schools using our specialism of theatre to develop creative talent. This project has been developed for the children in our borough whose parents are working on the front line and who will need that extra care and opportunity to express themselves imaginatively.

“Hammersmith is our home and we will support the young people of Hammersmith even while our theatre is closed. We hope that this project supports the health, well-being and creative energy of all these children.”

The project will run over the course of three weeks, during which time the children will create monologues that will be performed digitally by actors from the theatre’s Young Lyric programme.

Stephens, an associate artist at the Lyric Hammersmith, will contribute to the project.

He said: “I’m thrilled to be working with the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre to take our playwriting work out into the community for the children of key workers who are still coming to school. Primary schoolchildren have fearless imaginations. They inspire me to be more daring in my own writing. I can’t wait to see what they come up with.”