College performers work with police on anti-crime message

Students at Coleg Sir Gâr’s Graig campus are performing a powerful play to schools about the consequences of crime and making the wrong decisions in life.

Kiddo’s Choice, which is also being opened-up to the public, is a thought-provoking play highlighting what can happen when people make potentially life-changing choices involving crime and anti-social behaviour. The play has been put together in collaboration with Dyfed-Powys Police, youth offending teams and the Prison Service.

Coleg Sir Gâr director Eleanor Shaw said: “It’s so exciting this year as we have a new cast, new script and a great set. It’s a fantastic project for our students, they really benefit from working on this commissioned piece in a professional theatre.

“The show has a really important message for all ages and students will perform to more than 1,000 secondary school pupils, before the show opens to the public following rehearsals which started in November.

“Kiddo’s Choice is a lesson all about the consequences of crime – for themselves, their families and the wider community. And being in a play, performed by teenagers, it brings the message home a lot harder,” said PC Gareth Jones who is coordinating the play for the force.

“Running alongside the production, we’ve set up workshops involving the courts, the youth offending team and the prison service so the children are learning about the reality of being arrested, and what it feels like to be before a court and the truth about life on the inside of a prison, where you really are a number, not a free person.”

The performance of Kiddo’s Choice for the public, will be performed at Theatr Elli at 7pm on Wednesday, January 18.

Pic: Courtesy of Carmarthenshire County Council – Kiddo’s Choice performance 2011

Theatr Elli Link: http://theatrelli.ticketsolve.com/shows/126522021/events