The brutal killing of Eltham born teenager Stephen Lawrence still holds gravitas today. 20 years on the controversial issues surrounding; institutional racism, police incompetence, and gang related crime continue to be explored through performance.

Roy Williams capitalises on the aftermath of the Lawrence inquiry and the continuing affects of knife crime, in his contemporary play Fallout.  Similar to the plight of Stephen, Williams opens the play introducing the character of Kwame, an acquitted 16 year old, a victim of knife crime.

Through his cleverly adapted script, Williams highlights a corrupt and out of control society. Someone’s guilty, someone’s petrified, and someone killed Kwame. The script depicts the challenges and limitations facing young people, in a culture controlled by social approval.

Williams’s collaboration between the humours and the terrifying provides a stark contrast. This collocation allows for audiences to question the realities of existence, while engaging with youthful interaction. While the subject of knife crime is at the heart of Williams’ script, he also explores adolescent friendships and volatile relationships.

As the plot unfolds, it becomes increasingly apparent that covetous Emile is guilty of murder. While the beautiful Shanice is imprisoned by his controlling mannerisms, as she secretly grieves for Kwame. Exasperatingly Kwame is murdered in vain and justice is never achieved, mirroring the Lawrence’s family’s fight for a conviction.

With these natural correlations between a fictional murder and a physical murder, it becomes apparent that Williams’ script hides an underlying message. Knife crime killed in 1993 and it’s still killing now. This current work not only explores and purports the effects of knife crime, it delivers an unambiguous warning. Whether delivered through a theatrical representation or not, knife crime will continue to dominate our society.