This intense two-hander, new writing for theatre, dealt with the difficult subject of trafficking, and so required a sensitive approach in press and marketing. As the fastest-growing international crime, trafficking is a subject of great relevance for audiences, but also one wreathed in misconception. Strong connections with anti-trafficking charities, Unseen and Stop The Traffik, provided the opportunity to offer valuable and trusted content, including interviews with Sally. Support from charities and sponsors on social media helped to spread the message before and during the festival. Company-created content related to the topic of trafficking, and the narrative of the tale, provided engaging multimedia to share on social media.
From early on it was decided that the narrative of the piece should be at the forefront of communications, to better engage our target audience. The mother-daughter relationship, and in particular the psychological journey which the characters undertook, therefore became a focal point in the press release, while stressing the importance of the play in highlighting the experience of the, often overlooked, 'adult' victims of trafficking. Reaching online communities with a focus on women's issues and human rights was of great importance. The F-word reviewed the show, and Sally gave an interview to The Female Arts as part of their pre-festival coverage.
The play was reviewed an impressive fourteen times, but its real strength lay in the overwhelmingly positive audience responses. To maximise the reach of audience feedback, audience reviews were shared on social media on social media, audience members exiting shows were encouraged to leave responses on edfringe.com and audience responses were quoted in press contact.
Written by Sally Lewis
Directed by Ben Mills
Performed by Holly Joyce and Naomi Stafford