IT'S incredible to think 110 people turned up to the Customs House community room for a reading of our new play God Only Knows, given it was a Sunday evening on a sunny day and that the actors, while brilliant, had a mere five hours' rehearsal time and were reading from the script.
The response was magnificent, and we were delighted that so many people stayed behind to discuss the issues involved with the play: that Creationism is being taught in science lessons in State schools in the 21st century.
There is real anger and c
oncern that by virtue of wealth, a millionaire benefactor can impose what is taught to children in State schools.
Anyone who believes that the world is a mere 6,000 years old, that dinosaurs existed alongside humans, that man was created in the Garden of Eden (which contained a talking snake!) and that women were made from Adam's spare rib are perfectly entitled to their somewhat eccentric ideas.
But this nonsense should not be imposed as an authentic scientific theory on children whose education is paid for by taxpayers' money.
God Only Knows isn't anti-religious, it's a pro-education play and the sooner people realise what is happening today, in North East England, in some State-funded academies, the sooner we can expose this pseudo-science and the miseducation of our children.
Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood,
Playwrights.* What do you think of the teaching of Creationism in schools? E-mail us your views here.