A drama about the misuse of antibiotics, specially commissioned by Aston University, is to be publically premiered at Thinktank, Birmingham Science Museum on Thursday 13 April. “The Drugs Don’t Work: A Tale of Resistance” will be performed by Hobgoblin Theatre Company.
The performance tells the story of antibiotics being misused by a celebrity who bullies a GP into prescribing them – and the consequences. A panel of health and science experts will then consider the common misconceptions around antibiotics, while the audience will be able to vote on the scenarios and fire questions at the panel.
The Drugs Don’t Work is the third in a series of plays commissioned by Anthony who has worked previously with the theatre-in-education company on scripts to raise awareness of sexually transmitted infections and on the super-bug MRSA. He said: “These everyday topics are important to all of us and our health and welfare but sometimes they can be difficult to talk about. By weaving the subject matter and the misconceptions around them into a drama and also involving the audience, it makes it easier for children and young people, their families and teachers to talk about the issues and how we can all help to tackle them.
“No one wants to be lectured at, so the play is a fun and interactive way of engaging with the public, whilst also raising awareness and knowledge of an important subject,” added Anthony, who is also deputy executive dean of the School of Life and Health Sciences.
Entry to The Drugs Don’t Work: A Tale of Resistance is included in the admission price to Thinktank on Thursday 13 April, with performances at 1pm and 3pm. The production is suitable for children aged 12 and over.
The university’s antimicrobial resistance research team will also be “science busking” at Thinktank from 10.30am to 3.30pm on the day, where they will be demonstrating handwashing and its role in breaking the chain of infection. Visitors will be able to participate by using “glitter bug potion,” a UV handwashing training aid, looking at examples of harmful bacteria down microscopes and playing Superbugs, an app developed by the Longitude Prize to show how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
For more info go to http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/visit
