"Being here and hearing stories and learning from other people has just made me feel like ‘do you know, you’ve had it hard, you’ve had it really hard but you’re not the only person and what you do from here is ...it’s not what has happened it’s what you do from here’. That counts." Photograph: Pål Hansen
'I feel very confident about life actually. I've had my times where I thought "I don't know why I'm doing this because I am going to be like my mum" but I've never taken drugs or alcohol for that reason. I was scared that what everyone said about me would come true - that I would turn out like my mum. And after being here I feel supported. I feel like people believe in me.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'I was saying to Mum yesterday that I love every single person that’s here. Every person I’ve met from here has been lovely, welcoming, supportive. I’ve come on leaps and bounds and that's thanks to Maggie [Norris, who runs the Big House project] but it’s also thanks to the rest of the cast as well. They’re such a lovely group of people and I have love for every one of them.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'It's building my confidence a lot. When I first came in I lacked confidence, but I feel like it's growing more and more. I feel like I'm getting benefit from a lot of things here. There's a lot of emotions that have been brought up from the script and I feel like I'm just bolder. I can get it out and just leave it.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'One person said to me, after I had worked with them for a while, "How long were you in care? You mustn't have been in very long." That's because the media and the system markets people in care as less able, as victims. Imagine what would happen if all the people in the services thought that care leavers were incredibly capable. Imagine what could happen.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'Me being here has had a lot of positives. I've realised that the people here have been through a lot and that they've come through, and they're all right here, they're happy here. There's more to life than the stuff that we've been through.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'I’d like to continue doing acting and writing scripts. I'd like to set up a company where people come and do writing and you have writing classes, you have drama you have dancing ... but it would be like a charity and just like people go to drama schools, it would be that good but it won’t be expensive … anyone can come because I feel like acting is a great way to get people involved and interested.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'I'm learning so much here … it make me want to be an actor. My dreams just rise and rise when I'm in here.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'I first came to the Saturday workshops, and I loved it. Honestly, everyone was just so friendly and so warming that it just made me want to come every week. I just couldn't wait for my Saturday because I knew I'd be coming here, and it was just something to look forward to really.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'There’s a few scenes in the play which have brought me to tears, because it touches sensitive spots in my own story. And not everybody will know that. It’s heartening that I’m performing about some of my own personal experiences and I feel the group can project our ups and our downs and give them to people so they hear those stories.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'In five years? I would like to see myself in at least one programme or one TV series or one film or just something … and then I’ll be fine. Obviously I’d want to be working and have a stable job and a stable house and have my licence and you know just building my life up.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
'A lot of people have mentioned just how much confidence they get out of coming here and Maggie [Norris, who runs Big House] sees all the good bits of people as opposed to all the crap that might be in their lives – and she believes in that bit. It's an incredibly powerful message that people here have never had before. Somebody has actually wanted them to be part of something.' Photograph: Pål Hansen
