Poet Lemn Sissay joins 20 Stories High

LIVERPOOL-based young people's theatre company 20 Stories High announced their first patron this week - the poet, author and theatre maker Lemn Sissay.

The company say they have been talking for a few years about their work and shared connections; political, artistic and social.

Sissay said: “I am so pleased and proud to be the new patron of 20 Stories High. I am proud of the work they make, proud of the young people who make up the company and proud that they have asked me. The stories they tell are powerful, relevant, funny and heartfelt. And with the amount of challenges that young people are facing, it is more important than ever that their voices are heard."

Co-artistic director Keith Saha said:“I’m delighted and excited. Lemn’s personal history is something a lot of our young people identify with, and the way he has taken those experiences and addressed them in his art is what we try to do as a company. Lemn is inspirational and I cannot wait for us to draw on his expertise and talent to enrich our work.”

20 Stories High will premiere their next production, I Told my Mum I was Going on an RE Trip…, in February next year. It is described as "a funny, frank and moving new verbatim show that challenges assumptions and ideas about abortion", in a co-production with Manchester's Contact Theatre.

The company is celebrating its tenth year and has just begun a fundraising drive to to raise £10,000 of donations to continue to provide free creative activities for young people from excluded communities in Liverpool. Find out more on their JustGiving page here.