Addressing Food Poverty in Food Bank As It Is

Since November 2017, I have been playing multiple characters in 'Food Bank As It Is,' a powerful play that addresses the shocking levels of food poverty in the UK. The play was written by Tara Osman and based on her experiences through working as a Food Bank manager. Food Bank As It Is tells a number of real life stories about the growing number of people in the UK who are reliant on food banks and the way low pay, benefit sanctions and delays have a catastrophic effect on individual lives.

How does it feel to go hungry for days, yet be surrounded by plenty? What is it like to rely on a food bank to feed yourself and your family? The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 25, states that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family". Yet in the UK, in 2016, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are going hungry and cold. Here is an interview about the play with Tara Osman for Russia Today.

The play has been performed at the houses of parliament, taken nationally and seen by Jeremy Corbyn. We've run 7 sell-out performances across London so far, and performed at numerous London venues including The Waterman's Arts Centre near Kew gardens, The Chelsea Theatre, The Garden Court Chambers and in Walthamstow as part of 'The End of the World Festival.' Shows are usually followed by a very insightful discussion.