Christine Hargreaves

Set against the backdrop of Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the play depicts a single mother’s struggles as welfare cuts affect the poor and disabled. The derogatory term ‘spongers’ is used by British tabloid press to describe people who are dependent on welfare support, however the play presents the case of a family who really need the help of welfare support. The title sequence shows the title of the play, ‘The Spongers’, superimposed over a picture of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, denoting them as ‘the real spongers’ as Royal finances are paid by British taxpayers.