Borough Life Winter 2006: A play with a sobering message
“I wouldn’t have harmed Joanna for the world…”
That was the anguished cry from Judy, the morning after the car she was driving with her sister ploughed into a bridge, leaving Judy to live with the dreadful consequences of drink driving.
Too Much Punch for Judy, a high energy play which has been touring local schools, is the true life story of a night out that ended in disaster. Aimed at pupils from years nine and 10, the drama conveys its stark message so clearly that many in the audience were moved to tears.
Young actors from the APE Theatre Company take the roles of family and police and ambulance officers, with Josephine Irvine running through a gamut of emotions as Judy, the lively party girl whose night ended in tragedy.
Sixteen-year-olds Alex Green, Kathleen McGarry, Emily Holmes, Anthony Eyre and Tom Harwood were all strongly affected by the performance at the Deanery School
“It was very emotional,” said Kathleen, from Whitley. “It really got its message across and made you think.”
Tom from Parbold added: “Our age group is just starting to go out, friends are learning to drive. Just reading leaflets about drugs, drinking and driving wouldn’t be effective.”
The performances were arranged by the council’s road safety team who are only too aware that secondary school children are both vulnerable and difficult to reach.
In 2005, there were 227 casualties on the borough’s roads involving under 21s driving, including four fatalities and 20 serious injuries. In one in ten, alcohol or drugs was judged to have played a part.
The message for Christmas – and for every night – is that there’s no “safe” amount of alcohol… or drugs. Stay sober on the roads.