A free production aimed at warning young people and their families about criminal gangs running County Lines drug dealing in Oxfordshire and beyond, will be staged in Bicester.
Told with the energy and excitement of athletic choreography, incorporating mesmerising bike stunts on a specially constructed outdoor set, CODE tells the story of how drug dealers are using children to operate their trade.
With a narrative pulled together and performed by Sheffield-based artist rapper and actor, Marcus ‘Matic Mouth’ Smith, and the debut professional acting role of 14-year-old Esra Marmet playing the protagonist, Nicky, the show unfolds.
The energetic, breath-taking, and visually stimulating performances details an unforgettable tale of a young person falling prey to a gang. Groomed with gifts and coerced with threats, their victim takes on the dangerous business of drug running.
CODE aims to raise awareness to the events happening within our communities and is the latest touring show from physical theatre/dance company Justice in Motion, a company establishing itself at the forefront of theatre for social change and using its platform to tackle vital contemporary social issues.
CODE will be performed in Bicester at the Whitelands Academy, on Saturday June 1st at 11am and 2pm; and in Market Square the following day (Sunday June 2nd) at 12:30pm and 3:30pm.
Across the country, newspapers report on the drug trading of criminal gangs in both urban and rural areas, a practice called ‘County Lines’ in reference to the ways in which mobile phones are used to organise drug distribution across local authority boundaries.
This theatre piece has been created to show the plight of vulnerable, exploited teenagers (and sometimes younger children) who are lured and coerced into becoming part of this underground industry.
This show has been brought to Bicester by The Mill Arts Centre with the support of the Thames Valley police and the crime commissioner, which has committed £900,000 of funding to expand the Operation Deter Youth Program, an ongoing project working to connect under-18s who have been arrested for knife related offences, helping to increase levels of engagement and improve future safeguarding opportunities.
For more information view https://www.justiceinmotion.co.ukor https://www.themillartscentre.co.uk/shows/code-bicester/
