The Christian Arts Trust was pleased to support Foolproof Creative Arts in the development and presentation of Help Yourself at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Just Festival, contexts well suited to this bold and socially engaged piece of work.
The production used real-life stories, comedy, and a fictional account of a family at war to explore the responsibility of the individual as a global citizen.
Addressing issues including land-grabbing, gender inequality, human trafficking, and homelessness, it examined poverty and injustice in ways that were accessible, challenging, and humane.
As Foolproof themselves express it, “in a world shaped by story and image, drama has the power to challenge assumptions and to re-imagine what justice might look like.”
Foolproof’s work is rooted in a biblical imagination that embraces the figure of the “fool” as truth-teller, echoing Scripture’s challenge to worldly wisdom, while remaining open and welcoming to people of all faiths and none. This outward-facing vision aligns closely with CAT’s charitable aims.
The impact of Help Yourself extended beyond festival performance. The work was developed for educational use and taken into Scottish secondary schools, supported by classroom resources that enabled young people to engage thoughtfully with complex global issues.
More widely, Foolproof works primarily in theatre and runs projects with people at risk of social exclusion and homelessness, alongside after-school drama provision for primary-aged children and residential drama experiences for young people—demonstrating a sustained commitment to creativity, community, and inclusion.
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