The We Are Citizens (WAC) Ensemble is an exciting and innovative theatre company for care-experienced young adults aged 18 to 26. Our Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is delighted to announce that the WAC Ensemble recently won ‘Best Play for Young Audiences’ for their highly acclaimed production ‘Whatever Happened to the Jaggy Nettles?’ at the Writers’ Guild Awards in London, hosted by Sandi Toksvig. 

In partnership with our Arts in the City service (supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland), the WAC Ensemble offers a positive, supportive and empowering creative space to explore and learn about all aspects of professional theatre-making and to nurture and develop young actors’ creative talents. 

The company now has a plethora of credits and ‘Whatever Happened to The Jaggy Nettles?’ was their first full production. Liz Simpson, Head of Children’s Services (North West) said: “Everything about the play totally captured the spirit of 1976 to 77 and its musical energy and sentiments. It had bits of nostalgia and was full of funny, well placed jokes, comments and products from the era. The skill and enthusiasm of all the performers as well as the relentless dialogue and humour kept this play driving along at such a fast pace. There were serious, darker moments, too, which were handled well, and the script gave a true sense of the politics and social preoccupations of the time. The young people were amazing in their roles in Jaggy Nettles”.

Their other work includes festival appearances and professional engagements with other theatre companies; even COVID-19 couldn’t stop them.  In December 2020 when live performance wasn’t an option, they created a heart-warming Christmas show called ‘Elf Strike!’ and delivered this via Zoom. They also worked remotely to create the dramatic and slightly terrifying radio play ‘Cupid, Draw Back Your Bow’ in the spring and summer of 2021.

Their latest production, ‘The Dodo Experiment’ co-written by Martin Travers and WAC Ensemble member Chloe Wyper, recently had a three-night run in the Citizens Theatre.

Martin Travers, Playwright and Producer at Citizens Theatre, describes The Dodo Experiment as “Dark, fast, cruel and funny. I overheard it getting described as George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion meets Squid Game. I quite liked that. It has everything you need to get audiences excited about live theatre again”.   
 
He added, “It was a real privilege to be back in rehearsals with the wonderfully talented WAC Ensemble. What makes it even more exciting is to have co-written The Dodo Experiment with ensemble member Chloe Wyper”. 
 
Chloe, a member of the WAC Ensemble, commented, “Working with Martin to write this script has been brilliant. I’ve always wanted to do more writing, and working with him has given me the confidence to try something different. This script is also particularly special to me since it’s for the WAC Ensemble which I am a part of. 
 
I wanted to create something that was both dark and funny, and I think we have achieved that. Our dystopian world - which might feel eerily familiar - explores where the lines cross between right and wrong, life and death and the difficult decisions people have to make when under pressure”.