All Are Punished
Inspired by Romeo and Juliet and the real life story of Jon-Jo Highton
All Are Punished is made possible by funding from the National Lottery Awards For All Community Fund. All workshops and performances are free to attend.
Alongside our professional touring production of Romeo and Juliet, and in partnership with the JJEffect we are launching a programme around knife crime awareness. Using Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, we aim to explore modern issues of knife crime and gang culture, helping participants understand the real-world consequences of violence. The programme includes workshops designed for young people—those most at risk of knife crime—and their support networks, who are also affected by its impact. Through drama and theatre techniques, participants will examine themes of love, loss, and violence, fostering critical thinking and empathy. Participants will also have the opportunity to attend a performance of Romeo and Juliet, connecting them further as a group and deepening their engagement with the wider production.
Led by experienced theatre practitioners, youth workers and The JJ Effect, participants will have a safe space to share experiences and work towards the following objectives:
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Critical Thinking: Relate the play’s themes to modern challenges.
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Empathy: Build understanding of others’ experiences and relationships.
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Awareness: Highlight the impact of knife crime on individuals and communities.
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Problem-Solving: Develop peaceful conflict resolution strategies.
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Decision-Making: Explore the consequences of impulsive actions.
To promote the programme, we will partner with schools, youth organisations, and community groups, as well as use social media to reach a broad audience. This is a new initiative inspired by successful community theatre projects. Building on our experience, we aim to address pressing social issues while fostering meaningful connections through theatre.
The JJ Effect
We are delighted to be working in partnership with the incredible JJ Effect. Their workshop has been labelled as "One of the UK's most powerful and hard hitting anti knife crime presentations" and is in memory of Jon-Jo Highton who tragically lost his life through knife crime in 2014.
The presentations are led by Byron, Jon-Jo's brother, he says "The unique services we offer are that we are relatable to the young people we work with. They can see them- selves in us; they are able to talk to us and know they will be understood". Talking about the impact of the presentations he goes on to say "Our approach is to talk to our audience in an accessible way. We use hard hitting and real descriptions, video and stories to drive the message home. We also have the clothes Eve was wearing when she was attacked – they show the rips from the knife, and blood stains. The audience can see physical evidence of what happened to her."
More information about The JJ Effect can be found HERE
How Can I Get Involved?
There are 5 workshops are open to the whole community and are taking place across the Liverpool City Region. Each workshop lasts approx. 3 hours and involves the presentation from A Place For Us Theatre & The JJ Effect. Dates, times and venues below:
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11th June 5:30pm - 8:30pm at The Studio, Lacey Street, Widnes WA8 7SQ
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12th June 3:30pm - 6:30pm at The Heath School, Clifton Road, Runcorn WA7 4SY
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8th July 3pm - 6pm The Prescot School, Knowsley Park Lane, Prescot L34 3NB
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10th July 5pm - 8pm The Brindley Theatre, High Street, Runcorn WA7 1BG
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TBC Calderstones School, Harthill Road, Liverpool L18 3HS
After each workshop attendees will be invited to see a performance of A Place For Us Theatre's production of Romeo & Juliet. Tickets to the event are free of charge for workshop attendees. Tickets available to the performances at Norton Priory (Runcorn), Reynolds Park (Liverpool) and Shakespeare North Playhouse (Prescot). See our tour page HERE for more info on the performances.