“It opened my mind and warmed my heart.”

— Visitor

Let Me Tell You is an artwork about the possibility of change.

This empty shop artwork takes you on a journey from recovering addicts and alcoholics' past, through a precarious present and into their hopes for the future. Interwoven into the piece are the stories of the families of addicts.

Let Me Tell You explores recovery, asking us all to consider what change is possible in our own lives.

the entrance to the exhibit, surrounded by coat hangers. the word present is hanging above the entrance.

the word ‘past’ in large typeface is on the wall, objects sit on shelves below it.

A woman peers into a cardboard box with fragile tape on it.

Project history

In Spring 2010 Unfolding Theatre first worked with recovering heroin addicts at STAR Project in Stockton to create this remarkable installation. Let Me Tell You in Stockton was visited by over 550 people.

After the success of the project, we remade Let Me Tell You in Gateshead in Winter 2011. This time we worked with alcoholics alongside recovering drug addicts, exploring different stories of addiction and recovery. Now working with NERAF in 2012, we have explored and included stories from the families of addicts for the first time.

Donna Greenfield from the original Stockton group, came on work placement to help us remake Let Me Tell You in Gateshead. Kirsten Murray-Borbjerg from the Gateshead project, joins us as a volunteer in Newcastle in 2012.

Created with groups at NERAF and The Cyrenians.