This Summer, GSC finished a tour of ‘The Purple Princess’ to primary schools in Surrey and The Guildford Castle Gardens. The production was created to educate school children about epilepsy and how to deliver basic seizure first-aid. The show has now been recorded and can be watched online for free.
The play explains the three simple instructions viewers should follow when faced with a seizure – stay calm, cushion their head with something soft and call for an ambulance. These Three Cs are the basis of seizure first aid and echo The Epilepsy Society’s “Calm, Cushion, Call” campaign.
“It was impossible not to be moved by the impact this play had on its audiences. Watching everyone chanting the Three Cs – “If you see your friend fall, calm, cushion, call” – was just a joy. I remember plays that visited my school extremely well and the more people that learn how to respond to a seizure the better. We’re thrilled that more people will get to watch this important story through the online recording. It really will save lives.” Ant Stones, GSC’s Associate Playwright
About The Play
The Purple Princess film can be viewed for free on the GSC Website and on YouTube. The play was the brainchild of the play’s director, Indiana Lown-Collins and has been written by Ant Stones, GSC’s Associate Playwright. The story was based on Indiana’s own experiences of having a seizure on a train and directly tackles the need for greater education about epilepsy. The Purple Princess company includes artists with epilepsy and other hidden disabilities.
“We’re so pleased to hear how children have responded to The Purple Princess. There are on average two children with epilepsy in every primary school, and it’s important to raise awareness among their peers so they’re not afraid to help during a seizure. When children feel more confident about conditions like epilepsy, it can really help their classmates to feel more supported and included.” Claudia Christie, Epilepsy Action Media Officer
The Purple Princess takes its name from ‘Purple Day’, the international day for epilepsy awareness and was made with the help of The Epilepsy Society and Epilepsy Action. Schools stated that children who had watched the play learned more about the condition and found the Q&A sessions informative. Schools were also given a specially created worksheet to further explore the ideas of the show, which can also be downloaded from the GSC website.
“The children loved watching the show. It was great for them to see something so entertaining and informative at the same time. The vast majority said they had little, or no, knowledge of epilepsy and this play helped them understand it more and what they could do to help.” Tony Nunn, Deputy Headteacher at The Chandler C of E Junior School
Further Information
The Purple Princess was funded by South Western Railway’s Customer and Communities Investment Fund, which is designed to support projects that address an area of social need in their locality.
Find out more about ‘The Purple Princess’ play here: bit.ly/gscprincess
For more information on epilepsy visit Epilepsy Action: www.epilepsy.org.uk
