Drug addiction will continue to plague Hoxton unless the ‘huge level of deprivation and poverty’ in the area is tackled, according to the director of a local show aiming to remove the stigma of substance abuse through theatre.
Susie Miller is the creative director of Outside Edge, a theatre company whose latest production ‘Rockston Stories’ about substance addiction has been showing at the refurbished Hoxton Hall.
It features a mix of professional and amateur actors, all but one of whom have been in recovery for alcohol or drugs.
Miller has worked in Hoxton since 2000 and feels that despite its social transformation, the root of the area’s drug problem has remained constant.
“It has always had a history of drug addiction,” she said.
“[Hoxton has] changed over the years but the drug problem really won’t go away while we still have a huge level of deprivation and poverty.”
Nevertheless, the director feels the show is helping change attitudes toward addiction among the local population.
“I think one of the main things for me is that local people love it,” she said.
“I think we have released some of that [shame] and opened up a dialogue to share our grief.”
Rockston Stories is the first production since the reopening of Hoxton Hall, a former music hall dating back to 1863.
According to Phil Woods, its musical director, the play’s Victorian theme is “paying homage to the venue” while its name originates from a nickname for Hoxton popular with local drug dealers.
Picure: Phil Woods
