The societal narratives that shape our lives.

HAVE WE BEEN SET UP?

I came out of my mother's womb and landed in her and my dad's arms. I'd been a dream of theirs for a while. I imagine I was held and cuddled, kissed, and marvelled at.

Most of us start with that moment, and it is sacred.

For so many of us, even just one person looked at us like we were the most special thing ever. In that moment, we were cherished, precious, and protected.

So, where's the work?

Not long after that moment, perhaps as quickly as moments later, the world started to tell a different story. One that didn't match the safety I was born into. And I'm not talking about being a victim. I'm not talking about feeling sorry for myself. I'm talking about the quiet, unspoken truths that begin to shape us the moment we take our first breath.

We see and hear it clearly in the work we do in schools.

Teenage boys tell us, with certainty, that girls are "weaker." Recently, one young man could not let go of the idea that women are biologically more vulnerable to abuse. He told me quite clearly, "It's just a fact," he said. "It's just because women are weak, and men are strong."

But it isn't just about strength. And it certainly isn't about facts.

It's about how we've been set up. Systemically. Socially. Subtly.

How did I go from being the most adored, wanted, and celebrated human in my parents' lives to being told, whether by the media, schools, the laws, or changing room talk—that my worth, my safety, and my voice were somehow less than a man?

That's where the work is.

Theatre Inspiring Change works with young people to examine these setups. We do this not by lecturing but by inviting them into dialogue, reflection, and empathy. In our interactive performances and workshops, we don't just tell stories—we hold up a mirror. We create space for young people to see the setup, question it, and, most powerfully, start to undo it.

This work is urgent. Because those early beliefs solidify fast, they become the stories we live by. And if we don't catch them, they become the foundations of harmful relationships, broken communication, and warped identities. The urgency of this issue demands our immediate attention and action.

Every time a young person says, "I never thought about it like that before," or shifts uncomfortably in their seat as something lands in a new way, we know we're doing something right.

This is why reviews and feedback are so critical—not for the sake of praise but because they show the real impact of this work. They help us reach more schools and young people. They validate to others what we already know: that this work changes lives. It's not just theatre.

It's a powerful tool for transformation, inspiring hope and change.

So… have we been set up?

This question is not just a rhetorical one but a call to action for us to

Yes. But together, we can unpick the setup, one story, scene, and conversation at a time.