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Support PYTHON: A Story of Addiction & Love
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£606 raised of
28 donations
Hiya,
We’re Sol Taibi (from Middlesbrough) and Jack Robert Young (from South Shields) — two working-class actors and playwrights from the North East, trying to make something honest, raw, and a little bit beautiful about the people and places we know best.
Our debut full-length play, Python, is a story about alcoholism, caregiver burnout, and the complicated love that binds families together — even when it hurts.
It follows Heidi (pictured and played by Mira Edirisingha) as she cares for her alcoholic dad, Derek — a working-class dissection of “the demon drink,” and how resentment, duty, and love can coexist in the same living room.
Heidi works at Jobcentre Plus, where she befriends Michael (played by Sol Taibi) — a former criminal looking for work. Despite his chequered past, he offers her a new way of seeing the world, forcing her to confront just how much more she can take.
We’ve been offered two weeks of research and development space at Alphabetti Theatre in Newcastle this January (2026) — an incredible opportunity to bring Python to life with a team of brilliant northern artists and creatives.
But… we need your help to make it happen.
We’re aiming to raise £5,000 to cover:
Fair pay for our actors, director, and creative team
Rehearsal and production costs
Travel and accommodation for our artists
Further development of the script towards a full commission and tour across Tyneside, Tees Valley, and beyond.
Every single pound goes directly to the people making this story happen — no middlemen, no waste, just working-class creatives telling a story that matters.
Why Python Matters
Addiction is often shown on stage as chaos and tragedy. We wanted to write something real — something that shows the quiet burnout of the people holding it all together: the carers, the kids, the families who love someone they can’t always save.
This play is for them.
It’s a love letter to the North East — to resilience, humour, and those small moments of tenderness that appear even when life feels impossible.
What Your Support Will Do
Your donation, big or small, will:
• Help us bring Python to life at Alphabetti Theatre this January
• Give local artists paid creative opportunities
• Support future performances across Teesside, Tyneside, and the wider North
Why “Python”?
A python doesn’t eat its young. It coils around them — holding them close, keeping them warm, protecting them until they can stand on their own. But that same embrace, if it lasts too long, becomes suffocating.
That’s what Python is about: love that shelters and strangles.
A daughter who can’t stop caring, and a father who can’t stop consuming.
It’s about the dangerous tenderness between protection and possession — and how, sometimes, the thing we cling to most is the thing that slowly takes the air away.
Ways We’ll Say Thank You
We want everyone who supports Python to feel like part of the family — so if you’re able to give a little more, here are some small ways we’ll show our thanks:
Friend of the Play — £20+
Your name will appear in the Python programme and on our social media, thanking you for helping make this story possible.
Supporter — £50+
All of the above, plus a complimentary ticket to see Python when we perform the piece.
Sponsor — £100+ (limited to 10)
All of the above, plus a signed copy of the programme and a complimentary drink on arrival.
Patron — £250+ (limited to 5)
All of the above, plus an additional ticket to bring a guest, and a credit in the programme as a Producer of the show.
Executive Producer — £500+ (limited to 3)
All of the above, plus:
• Your name or company logo credited as an Executive Producer in all printed and digital materials.
• A personal invitation to attend a rehearsal or creative sharing with the cast and writers.
• Our eternal gratitude for helping us bring this story to life.