Turning stigma into celebration

Working as a volunteer in the homeless sector, and with a background in the arts, Matt Peacock of Streetwise Opera tells Katie Pattullo that he knew the arts sector could play a pivotal role in the lives of those living on the streets. The hidden talent of the participants has been astounding – making a hugely positive impact on both participants and theatregoers

When an MP in the 1990s was quoted  as saying that the homeless were the people you step over when you come out of the opera house, it was as if it fired the engine of the residents at The Passage nightshelter in Westminster.

Matt Peacock had been working on Opera Now as a reviewer, but had also been working as a volunteer some evenings and weekends at The Passage nightshelter. Having trained to be a professional support worker, he started to become more involved with this charity and, following discussions with fellow staff, came to the conclusion that perhaps the support being offered to the homeless was too focused on the practical, such as food and shelter.

Many homeless people seemed to be moving through a revolving door of support. They didn’t have the confidence, motivation or the social skills to escape form this perpetual existence. Peacock saw music – a great leveller and egalitarian means of expression – as a way to develop a sense of creativity and self-esteem in the lives of those he was supporting: “Showing people that have considered themselves failures throughout their lives what they can do and – in fact – that they have talent doing it, is enormously satisfying. Interestingly, it isn’t that hard to show people what they can do – as long as they have the right framework and support.”

As the founder of Streetwise Opera, Peacock’s central vision has been that everyone has talent, and the role of the organisation is to show people, and provide the framework, to tap into that underlying talent for themselves. It has been an incredibly successful programme. Five years on, Streetwise Opera works with 600 people every year who have experienced homelessness and has grown into a national charity with bases across the country (and in Boston, USA).

There are 500 workshops a year, and yet finding musicians to run these workshops had been incredibly straightforward. Peacock explains: “We are constantly receiving CDs from musicians who want to work for us. All of our 30 trained workshop leaders UK-wide are freelance musicians. They get an huge amount out of it too – it is enormously gratifying for them to share the skills they have spent a lifetime honing.”

Despite the talent that Streetwise Opera has tapped into (and every one of their productions has received either four or five stars from reviewers), Peacock is keen to emphasise  the programme is not about encouraging any of their participants to become professional: “That’s not what we’re about. We are definitely focused on the social welfare side of what music can do. It is not easy to become a professional singer or actor, even without a lifetime of problems, so it would be unfair to offer too high expectations”.

But what is absolutely evident is that the experience of being involved in the shows has had a dramatic impact on the lives of its participants – and its founder. For Peacock it has been about going against the grain, showing that the unexpected is possible, but ultimately it is watching the participants giving their ‘all’, and being absolutely engaged, and blossoming, in a project.

And there are notable success stories. One ‘frontline’ day centre attendant in the north east who, having made a major incremental development to remove a jacket he had worn ‘forever’, went on to play a crucial role backstage in the production of a show. He invited his daughter – who he hadn’t seen in 10 years – and, as a result, met his granddaughter for the first time.

As Peacock says: “Only time will tell how his life will turn out – but it is much more on track now than it was. It is hard to overestimate the effect that a sense of pride and confidence can have in someone’s life.”