A brand new musical play puts the voices of young Nottingham people of African heritage on the Playhouse stage in a unique double bill with four of the UK’s leading spoken word performers. MISREPRESENTED PEOPLE, developed by playwright Moronke Owoborode with the city’s Lyrically Deep Youth Theatre Company, is a life-affirming response to the stereotypes which young Black people face, and particularly to the portrayal of Nottingham as a hotbed of street violence. Then, in the second part of the evening, the spoken word collective Best Kept Secret returns with GANGLAND, a new exploration of contemporary gang culture. Billed as LYRICALLY DEEP 2, following the success of the first Lyrically Deep event in October 2005, the event is part of the BRIT (Black Regional Initiative in Theatre) programme at Nottingham Playhouse. It takes place on Thursday 22 and Friday 23 February at 7.30pm (Box Office: 0115 941 9419 or www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk).
MISREPRESENTED PEOPLE is an edgy but affirmative piece of theatre about a group of streetwise young Nottingham people looking for ways to change their world for the better. It begins when the ’Break It Up’ dance battle organised to campaign against street violence is itself disrupted with a gunshot. In the aftermath, the young people team up with an American university student to challenge the image of ’assassination city’ and arrange a protest of their own.
Playwright Moronke Owoborode developed the play in close collaboration with its young stars over the past year in order to reflect their own thoughts and experiences. Members of the group have contributed music and lyrics themselves, with Christella Litrass acting as Music Director and choreography by AmeN NoiR. Director OneNess has helped shape a piece that does not shy away from the realities of life on the streets of Nottingham but fully displays the wit, warmth and humour with which young people meet them. The play reflects the 200th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery, and has won the endorsement of the campaign group Mothers Against Guns.
There are further insights into street culture when Best Kept Secret take the stage in the second part of the evening with their new set GANGLAND. Comprising OneNess, AmeN NoiR, Tuggs.t.a.r. and ShakaRa, the London-based collective has been among the heavyweights of the spoken word circuit for the past five years. They make a welcome return to Nottingham Playhouse after sharing the bill on the original Lyrically Deep. GANGLAND explores all the facets of this contemporary phenomenon, asking who defines a gang; whether it takes the place of family or business; and where responsibility lies all in the vivid and entertaining style for which the members of Best Kept Secret are celebrated.
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