Cardboard Citizens performs work in a variety of ways, from small scale tours to hostels and prisons in London to the Edinburgh Fringe to full scale touring productions on a national scale.

Our productions are always rooted in the stories we hear from our Members, giving a voice and raising awareness of the issues that homeless people face and the issues that affect us all.

As a theatre company our arts programme forms the foundation of our work.

We use theatre to ask questions of individual, society and nation, why are things the way they are and how could they be better.

Touring to theatre spaces

Our work will always include performances for the general public in theatre spaces. This has sometimes included performances at the Edinburgh Fringe, site-specific performances, or collaborations with venues and companies like the Royal Shakespeare Company and the English National Opera.

One of our most important productions to date was Cathy, written by Ali Taylor and directed by Adrian Jackson – our modern day retelling of Cathy Come Home to mark its 50th anniversary.

An emotional and shocking portrayal of homelessness in Britain today.

Audience Member of Cathy

Touring to homeless hostels, day centres and prisons

A key part of our work involves taking performance to non-theatre spaces. We started out performing in spaces around the Cardboard City in Waterloo, and we continue to reach out to audiences currently experiencing homelessness, meeting people where they are – in hostels, day centres and prisons.

This work is fundamental to our ethos. It enables excluded people to engage with the arts, offers workshops and residencies to those who are interested, and builds lasting relationships with those who go on to be Members of Cardboard Citizens.