On a Balmy Thursday night, I make the long(ish) journey to Stratford East theatre, to see Yummy. Lured by the promise of babirye bukilwa’s writing, malakai sergeant’s direction and a sparse but intriguing show summary – I hurry. The 30-minute play is a part of Stratford East’s Burn It Down series, where theatre makers respond […]
If I count the time from when I first became conscious of myself in relation to sexuality, it has taken me 17 years to accept that I am a Black non-binary lesbian. Even now, to say I ‘accept’ this feels static; ‘accepting’ might be a more apt word choice. Everyday I wake up I’m reminded […]
‘1% is a state of mind,’ Jaz says breezily as she re-enacts her South London Bestie, Mon, leading her through a field towards a queer rave in Croydon on precarious battery percentage. ‘Remember when I made 1% last like 3 hours? / That was a Nokia still.’ As the audience and I burst into laughter […]
I was delighted to receive an invitation to watch Overflow at The Bush Theatre. I had seen a lot of buzz about it online prior to lockdown closures and then again with its online streaming debut. Despite this, I went into the play knowing little about it, save that it was written by the award-winning […]
A couple of weeks ago, Issa Rae did a hilarious skit for Saturday Night Live, in which she tried to explain HBO’s Lovecraft Country to a group of friends, leaving them bewildered and disinterested. The skit really hit home for me, as I’ve spent the last two months justifying my affinity for the show that’s […]
On Friday 23 October I was privileged enough to see a staged reading of …cake at Theatre Peckham by the lauded Babirye Bukilwa (Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2020 finalist and Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting 2019 shortlist). I use the word privileged not in a hyperbolic sense, rather reverentially I felt like I was watching the […]
“They ask me where I am from! I say I am a mix. Of both racism and sexism – they lay equally on my skin. Passed down unknowingly by my next of kin.” Above is an excerpt from the play- A line that was repeated throughout to emphasise: Misogynoir [mi-soj-uh-nwar], noun. 1. the specific prejudice […]
*WARNING: spoilers for those who haven’t seen the film yet!* Based on the real life experiences of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, Gurindher Chadha’s latest film is set in 1987 in Luton and ‘milk snatcher’ Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister of the UK. Raised in a traditional Pakistani household, sixteen year old Javed Khan (played by Viveik […]
This energetic, invigorating and ultimately thought-provoking play was brought to life through performances by a quartet of actors supported by a high-quality creative team. ‘Custody’ gave narrative and shed light on police brutality and the emotional turmoil families experience when a loved one dies without justice being served. The beginning of the play opened with […]
Funeral Flowers highlights many themes throughout this self-empowering play. It intertwined the magic of song, poetry, beautiful set designs and promenade to tell the story of 17 year old Angelique, who dreams of being a florist. The 2018 Fringe First award winning play took its audience on a journey of a young girl navigating her […]
