The Babushka Project​

Changing the conversation around bullying through storytelling, education and lived experience.

Every person has a story.
Every story has layers.

The Babushka Project began with one autobiographical play, but it is growing into something wider: a theatre-led initiative exploring the lifelong impact of childhood bullying, the stories adults still carry, and the ways schools and communities can listen differently.

At the heart of the project is a simple belief:

Children do not leave bullying behind just because they grow up.

The impact can stay hidden for years. It can shape confidence, relationships, self-belief, mental health, work, creativity and the way a person moves through the world.

 

 

The Babushka Project uses storytelling, performance, conversation and lived experience to help make those hidden layers visible.

Babushka – One Woman. 2 Lives. Multiple Layers. is a new autobiographical play by local writer and performer Suzanne Pearson.

The play explores childhood bullying, memory, survival, humour, and the long-term impact of what children can carry into adult life.

This rehearsed reading is not a finished production. It is an early step in the development of the play, followed by an informal conversation with the audience.

Tickets are free, but spaces are limited. Please apply in advance.

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​Why Babushka?

A babushka doll holds one figure inside another, layer after layer.

That image sits at the centre of this project.

Many adults carry younger versions of themselves inside them: the child who was not protected, the teenager who learned to survive, the adult still trying to make sense of it all.

Babushka gives those layers a voice.

The play is not only about bullying itself. It is about what happens afterwards. It asks what children carry, what adults miss, and what might change if we listened more carefully.

 

What The Babushka Project intends to do

The project is still growing, but its aims are clear:

To raise awareness of the long-term impact of childhood bullying.

To create space for adults with lived experience to be heard without shame.

To work with teachers, SENCos, pastoral staff and safeguarding leads to explore what adults may miss.

To use theatre as a way into honest, reflective conversation.

To gather insight that can help shape future workshops, resources and recommendations for schools.

This is not about blaming individual teachers. It is about looking honestly at systems, responses, blind spots and missed chances — so that more children can be seen earlier.

 

For teachers and school staff

Teachers, SENCos, pastoral staff, safeguarding leads, school governors, drama teachers and others working with young people are especially welcome at the rehearsed reading.

Your insight is valuable.

The post-reading conversation will help shape both the play and the wider development of The Babushka Project.

If you work in education and would like to attend, please use the schools route below.

[Teachers & School Staff Register Here]

Or email: schools@thebabushkaproject.org

 

For the general audience

You do not need to be a teacher, theatre professional or expert to attend.

If the subject speaks to you, if you care about young people, if you are interested in new writing, or if you simply want to be in the room as Babushka takes its first steps, you are welcome.

https://cornexchangenew.com/events/babushka

Or email: booking@thebabushkaproject.org

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A project in progress

The Babushka Project is continually growing.

What began as one conversation is becoming a one-woman show, a podcast, educational resources, research and a community committed to creating lasting change.

Just like people, meaningful projects evolve. We'll continue learning, listening and developing as this journey unfolds.

Thank you for being here at the beginning.