I have always been passionate about social justice, however I wasn’t sure how I could make a difference in the world. After sitting and contemplating this, I came to realise that I could use my skillset as a performer to connect with audiences by creating work about human rights. By creating work that speaks to injustices in our society, I could platform issues that I, and many around me, cared about so I started Justice in Motion in 2013.
Justice in Motion is a physical theatre company that makes theatre about human rights to raise awareness of topics including knife crime, migration, modern slavery, poverty and sexual violence. There’s so many topics that need to be discussed and I am humbled to have the opportunity to shine a light on them by sharing stories on stage.
Working alongside academic, business and charity partners, we develop productions grounded in research, lived experience and dialogue, using performance to spark awareness, conversation and change.
This year, we are presenting CODE at Pleasance Grassmarket until 27 August – it’s our Fringe debut. The show highlights how vulnerable young people can be, in getting exploited and involved with gangs connected to knife crime and County Lines – the mobile phone networks used to organise the movement and sale of drugs. In 2025, approximately 15,500 children were identified as at risk or involved in child criminal exploitation, though the Children Society actually estimates 46,000 young people to be involved in the UK.
Theatre can feel inaccessible to some people so we try to take barriers away by connecting with communities, schools and young people, and presenting stories through a variety of mediums. In CODE, for example, we bring together live rap, music, parkour, physical theatre and trials bike stunts, which we’ve found help make it easier for young people to connect with. These forms are visually exciting so people can enjoy these aspects for the art themselves too.
Theatre is relevant and powerful in how it can speak to the heart of an issue in a way that, in my opinion, nothing else can. Sometimes we don’t use words and it’s the visuals, the music or movement that might connect with people. We’ve seen, first hand, when people allow a topic to move from their head to their heart – connecting with themes on emotional levels.
With CODE, we’ve seen young people have honest and serious conversations with their parents, grandparents, carers and friends after the show. This moves us as we are serious in our belief that young people must have a future that includes hope and opportunities, instead of being entrapped within crimes that affect lives.
The work we do can take you on an emotional journey, however we have seen the first hand effects of how transformative theatre can be in connecting people to stories that matter. We present high quality work that is truthfully rooted in reality – raising awareness about social injustice issues, to inspire people to take a collective stand. Our hope is for people to become active – donating to a specific cause, writing to an MP or making an influence within their own sphere are small steps that can make big differences.
CODE, Pleasance Grassmarket, until 27 Aug (not 19, 24), various times