Written by Karen Simpson - Director of Jago's Box
We are surrounded by images of people all over the world directly affected by the impact of civil war. The media reports of refugees and the aftermath of September 11th reminded us all about how quickly our stability and peace could change. Seeing accounts of rioting in established communities and towns across the North of England and the continued violence in Northern Ireland reminded me of the constant responsibility faced by those working in Education to promote a greater respect for and tolerance of difference.

In choosing a play to launch the new Sheffield Theatres Education Programme, I wanted to find a play that could explore our relationship with our immediate neighbours but also explored our relationship to people throughout the rest of the world. ‘Jago’s Box’ by Maggie Willett was just the play to challenge and make an impact on young audiences.

The play is set in a civil war in a non-specific location. I have tried to preserve this aspect although one has to make certain choices, particularly when considering costume and music which can place the action in a particular time and place. In working with Juliet Watkinson (Designer) and Matthew Wood (Composer) we have been conscious about maintaining universality to the story.

The question “How can we learn to trust our worst enemy” seems at the heart of ‘Jago’s Box’ and is one I hope that young people will find engaging in relation to their own lives and in considering the politics of the world at large. The play ends with a resolution in relation to the friendship between Jago and Graf. It does however leave the audience with big questions as to the characters' future.

Written by Maggie Willett - Writer of Jago's Box
Jago's Box began with a discussion between Karen Simpson (then director of Action Transport Theatre) and myself about Greek mythology, dealing with monsters and the legend of Pandora's Box. So how did we get from there to the story of a child and a woman caught up in war?

Many of the primary ingredients of Jago's Box made their first appearance during a series of theatre workshops in primary schools in Runcorn and Warrington. An eight year old boy contributed the word 'gargoyle' when we discussed alternative words for monsters. This became the key to Graf's character. In another school, where they had been learning about World War Two, we took the children on an imaginary train journey as evacuees with boxes which contained their most treasured (and portable) possessions. In a third school I acted the role of a silent, strangely dressed woman who needed help. These ideas led to the character of Jago. Later, when the children were devising scenes about being on the run in a war torn country, one group began chasing chickens round a yard (I forget why) and this became the eggs-and-rat scene in the play. In the last school the children built a den for a lost child in wartime and the key pieces of the Jago jigsaw were in place - a woman, a child and a war.

But two characters and a situation do not make a play. The characters had to be fleshed out and a plot dreamed up. I thought and talked and read a lot about war, finding inspiration in the testimonies of children in a UNESCO book, 'One Day We Had to Run' and a newspaper article about an orphaned Russian boy who lived with wild dogs. What struck me again and again was how in wartime people are forced back to basics - food, water, shelter and survival. And when you need help, how do you tell your friends from your enemies. And when you need help, how do you if you've lost everything including your name? What makes people become soldiers? Can you make friends with the enemy? So we arrive at a story about enemies who may need to become friends to survive. I hope the play makes you think about these questions and maybe find some answers.