Unexpected saviour changing kids' lives in former knife crime capital

Daily Mirror · Ros Wynne Jones · 2026-11-06 08:57 UTC

To mark National Youth Work week, we visit a young people's theatre in a London borough once blighted by dire statistics, but now very much on the up

Inside a theatre tucked away down a suburban street in South London, three young people are talking about Shakespeare.

“I found I could relate to Othello,” 17-year-old Kristian Michael Swaby says. “The idea of gossip culture, things being said behind your back, the idea of someone who is close you but not close to you. And it’s a play that has racial themes.”

Fellow actors Zoe Pilbeam, 17, and Eleni Petro, 15, are also talking about how the Croydon Youth Theatre Organisation (CYTO) has changed their lives. “I literally couldn’t speak before I came here,” Zoe says. “I physically couldn’t speak – my voice broke every time. I’m still terrified of performing even though I love it so much. But no-one is going to judge you here and I’ve found my voice.”

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