The theatre has often been a place that has dared to speak to those in power, so what better time than 2024 for the Traverse Theatre to invite those between the ages of 13 and 25 in the UK and Ireland to write “letters, poems, songs and speeches to our future government.” A cast of four gives us an opportunity to hear these voices that are going to help shape our world.
Many spoke to the issues of poverty and the cost of living. As Dylan put it in his poetic piece, it is a matter of the world beyond the politicians' walls being a place “Where the rich eat the poor And the poor don’t eat at all.”
There are numerous suggestions for dealing with the situation, from better health and education funding to specific measures such as free education in colleges and universities. Erin, age 14, argues, “please fix the state of this country before I resort to eating the rich."
Another issue that runs through these contributions is the concern for the environment and the worry of climate change. A group of five seventeen-year-old youths insist, “while you’re swimming in your wealth, plastic’s swimming in the ocean.”
Ellie, aged 13, points out, “we have destroyed this amazing planet enough for over 10,000 years and we are extremely lucky to still be on it. Future generations should not have to worry about greenhouse gasses or climate change.”
There is consistent support in the letters for gender and ethnic equality. However, quite a number worry about the tendency among politicians and the media to single out for negative treatment people who identify or are identified as LGBTQ+.
The key concern outside the UK that gets attention is war. A number specifically named Palestine, with 13-year-old Anisa putting it this way: “Palestine rises from the dust with Courage hope and endless hope Through the endless months of Conflict and silent tears the genocide Keeps on going for years and years.”
Although there are expressions of anger and frustration among the messages, there is a consistently positive upbeat mood that seems to be summed up in the song of 14-year-old Deeya, which calls for us to “Let’s get political! Political!” That got quite a hefty clap from the audience.
Estella, Alex, Aliyah, Hope and Francesca warn the government to “Stop making excuses and telling us lies, Can’t you see what’s happening in front of your eyes? We’ll tell you, we’ll show you, we’ll turn up the heat, We’ll hold you to account, we will never retreat.“