Originated in partnership with Leap Confronting Conflict, Raising The Roof is a project working alongside care experienced young people to develop stories with fictional characters inspired by real life.

Since 2020 Playing ON has been working with care experienced young people, aged 16-25, to create fictional performances and short films about their lives.

As a group, young people create stories inspired by real situations, building their skills in storytelling, and character creation. There have been multiple cohorts working together on Zoom in weekly sessions, culminating in creative sharings including an online viewing party of The Phone, a summer sharing of 24 Hours in Paris at Brady Arts Centre, and an afternoon exploring the care system through ‘Fork In The Road’ at Omnibus Theatre, Clapham and an entire filming production week at Lewisham College in October half term.

Participant Feedback

“For me there’s a sense of living another life for a little while instead of living my own. It’s good to do especially when sometimes you might think I’m too tired I’m too stressed but it is a really good way to unwind.”

— Raising The Roof Participant

“It’s fun getting yourself into a different world. It’s something you would never normally do. In your day-to-day life you don’t have time to come out of character and pretend to be someone else, maybe act in certain ways that you may not want to act as yourself. I don’t like conflict but the conflict that me and the other character had was fun”

— Raising The Roof Participant

The Phone

Although entirely fictional, this was inspired by conversations with care leavers and their lived experience. This film clip gives a flavour of the way we have worked across the programme.

Thanks

Raising The Roof has been generously funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and The Postcode Society Trust. As part of Leap’s Under Our Roof programme it has also been funded by Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Kurt and Magda Stern Foundation, Treebeard Trust, Rayne Foundation and the Blagrave Trust.