Script writer's plea to raise £400 in six days for Salford play

Script writer’s plea to raise £400 in six days for Salford play

OCT.O.PUS, a Salford play about working class struggles only have six days to raise £1000 for the show to go ahead.

The play is about three-genertions of northern women, a nan, mother and daughter who are struggling in their tiny council flat. The play shows the past and present of the families lives and the struggles they have gone through due to the strains of austerity.

James Ernest, playwriter, wrote Oct.O.Pus to highlight the struggles working class people go through, with six out of ten people in the U.K regarding themselves as working class. He wanted to focus on the negatives that coming with being working class, and the rise in the neglect of mental health.

Director of the play, Lily Levin also comented, “Austerity creates a pressure cooker for everything that is going on, everyone in different financial situations has mental health problems but once you add adustierty and poverty into it, it heightens the sitation”.

James said he wants the play to start a discussion about what is going on in society today such as working class struggles,mental health and brexit, “Hopefully it will create a mini revolution”.

“We’ve had 10 years of austerity now and you can just feel the anger in the air, we just need to start talking about it” said James Ernest.

But with only six days to raise the £1000 needed for the play to go forward at King Arms in Salford, they have £400 left to raise.

So far, those who are part of the production have already spent their own money to secure the space for the play.

All of the actors, band members and production team are not being paid.

“It’s a massive labour of love” said Lily.

Although, many other playwriters and directors are in the position where funding is required, Lily tells Quays News why they are different.

“There should be more priotity put on new writing, that is relevent and that will start a discussion about things.

“The people that are involved are mostly women, this is not something that you see alot in theatre.

“Also, the writer being from a working class background himself, you do not get alot of that either”.

With time running out Oct.O.Pus plea for the help of the public through their Crowdfunding page.

Happy #InternationalWorkersDay ?? Care about #workingclass #issues ? Want to #help #raiseawareness? You’ve got 6 days left to #donate ? Please go to https://t.co/37fqTEEwTt and choose from a number of our #amazing #packages

— James Ernest (@james_ernest) May 1, 2018