Gangbusters is an interactive performance module for young people dealing with issues surrounding gangs and gun crime in London

Scene One
involves a young male volunteer from the audience playing the Protagonist, but who is safely limited to single-word lines of dialogue, playing opposite Performer One, a Gang Leader who wants the boy to hide a “package” in exchange for gang membership.

Link One
is a set of statistics about victims of gang violence.

Scene Two
involves the audience suggesting a celebrity informant and an unusual object (used as a weapon) to Performer One, now playing a Police Officer searching the Protagonist’s home. Performer Two (playing the Protagonist’s innocent brother) has to guess these details through improvisation.

Link Two
expresses facts about the effect on perpetrators’ and victims’ families of gun and gang crime.

Scene Three
involves a female volunteer, sitting on stage and watching the two Performers playing her and her mother, as her preparations for a date with the Protagonist are interrupted by the news his brother has been arrested.

Link Three
contains the information about penalties for possession of offensive weapons.

The Conclusion
is a dilemma for the Protagonist – does he (i) tell the Police to whom the package in his brother’s room really belongs, risking his own arrest plus retribution from the gang; or does he (ii) stay silent, protect the gang but send his own brother to prison.

The Q & A
involves the Performers asking the audience which choices the Protagonist could have made differently in order to avoid this dilemma and then opens up into a discussion about why people join gangs and what the negative consequences are.