Embedded Files
How's Your Father?
A show about challenged and challenging dads
A show about challenged and challenging dads
This show was a unique collaboration between The Common Lot, the UEA School of Social Work, Menscraft and Dads Matter at Norfolk County Council Children's Services. Our aim was to open up the conversation about what it means to be a father, what challenges fathers face and why fathers matter, for all of us.
The play was created using UEA research by Dr. Georgia Philip on fathers’ experiences of local authority children’s services and the family court, and the views of other local fathers. We presented four stories about men’s lives as fathers, what happens when they come up against different challenges, and what they discover about being a dad.
The show went to pubs, libraries and other public indoor venues. In 2023 it was re-staged as a professional show, touring to great acclaim to social work settings around the region. In each case it was followed by a discussion with its cast and creators, further exploring the issues presented.
How's Your Father? won a 2022 UEA Engagement Award.
The show's porgramme can be found here and includes links to the original research, lyrics to the songs and much more.
A UEA Podcast about the project is here, or watch the video below to gain an insight into our creative journey
‘The whole thing was brilliant and really informative. Watching a play really helpsyou get in touch with your emotions, which can get lost in other ways of training. The actors were very, very good and you actually really, really felt it."
Social Worker, Essex
‘That's for me the best form of training because that's the one I'm gonna go away and think about not only this year, but next year and the year after and forever.’
Family Welfare Practitioner, Suffolk
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse