'I haven’t had a drink since I started': how theatre got me off the streets

Theatre Royal Plymouth is one of many UK arts venues facing crisis. Clive, who sells the Big Issue outside the theatre, explains how it changed his lifeAfter 23 years on the streets I managed to get into a hostel in Plymouth and was determined to stop drinking. I went past the Theatre Royal one day and I thought, I’d love to have a go at that – it could be the pitch for me. I went into the Big Issue office and they said, funnily enough we’ve just been given these free tickets for the theatre, would you like to go? I wasn’t sure but I took a ticket and went along. The show was called In My Dreams I Dream I’m Dreaming, directed by Lee Hart.It was quite awesome going in there at first. When you’ve been on the streets, going into places like that isn’t what you’re used to. But I went in and mooched around, and found out where I needed to go in the Drum theatre. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jul/13/how-theatre-got-me-off-the-streets-theatre-royal-plymouth-big-issue #theatre #stage #culture #the_big_issue #media #newspapers_&_magazines #coronavirus_outbreak #plymouth