Lucy Meredith speaks to Kelechi Anucha about Urban Sprawl, Yorkshire’s only homeless theatre company

Tell me a bit about Urban Sprawl.

Basically we are Yorkshire’s only homeless theatre company, we work with people who have had issues with homelessness. We’ve been going since 2004 and a lot of our clients come from St George’s Crypt, one of the biggest homeless shelters in Leeds. We put on two original shows a year and we’re involved in lots of different projects in between. For example we have some street theatre projects, we’re also performing for Terry Waite in a few weeks time, with Emmaus UK, another organization for homeless people.

Your most recent production was Wrecked, part of the Love Arts Leeds Festival. How did that go!?

Really well! It was basically a sell out, there was probably about 5 seats left! We’d done it before, in February but resurrected it again in a slightly different format for the festival. You might call it the director’s cut, as we’d added some new scenes to it and were performing with a slightly different cast.

 Is that where you come in?

Well, officially my role is publicity manager but because we’re such a small organization and because my background is in acting, I’m also a jobbing actor for Urban Sprawl. This was my first directing role actually, initially I was part of the writing team, but people have hectic lives; casts change very quickly and you have to learn to jump in. So in effect I directed it and I was in it as well.

 What do you think the role of theatre in the lives of the people you work with?

I think theatre is essential as an engagement tool in all walks of life. We’re not here be to social workers, and we can’t give people housing but what we can do is give participants confidence and an ability to tap into new skills they didn’t know they had. For example one of our cast members had never acted before and he turned out to be an absolute natural. He could seriously have a career in acting if he put the work in.

 So there are regulars then?

 Yes. Obviously people’s lives are hectic, sometimes unstable and cast members will come and go. We do have about 15 core members who will keep coming back. We have sessions on Monday and Friday and the great thing about that is that people know that whatever happens, whether they disappear for 6 months or 6 days, that will be there. It is kind of a stabilizing element in their lives.

 Thanks for speaking with us! Good luck with your upcoming projects!