From November 2024 to March 2025, Sheffield Theatres and Sheffield Children’s Hospital have been collaborating with poet Sile Sibanda to offer creative writing workshops for young people undergoing medical treatments.
Inspired by the themes of Pig Heart Boy by Malorie Blackman, we’ve delivered workshops in playrooms, at bedsides and in the Becton Centre for Children and Young People, to improve wellbeing and explore feelings of belonging and sense of self for patients and staff.
Hospital staff, previous patients and participants are invited to watch Pig Heart Boy whilst it runs in the Playhouse from Thu 27 Februay - Sat 15 March. We will also host a private screening of the show for the young people at the Becton Centre for Children and Young People and internally at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
Lanterns, by Sile Sibanda
Lanterns is a poem inspired by and recorded with the voices of participants from the November creative writing sessions. You can listen to the poem above.
More of Sheffield’s young people’s own creative writing will be shared within the Sheffield Children’s Hospital network and online, following an ‘open mic’ hosted at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in February.
Pig Heart Boy is a co-production between Sheffield Theatres and the Unicorn Theatre, with the play being performed in London and Sheffield, before touring the UK. Find out more about the work with young people at the Unicorn Theatrefor Pig Heart Boy.
