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CURRENT PROJECTS

The stories

Black Power Desk by Urielle Klein-Mekongo

Black Power Desk by Urielle Klein-Mekongo

With Courage by Jon Hare

With Courage by Jon Hare

Live To Tell: (A proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical by Brian Mullin

Live To Tell: (A proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox Musical by Brian Mullin

I Ain't Dumb by Tom Wright

I Ain't Dumb by Tom Wright

Lesbian Pirates! by Natasha Sutton Williams

Lesbian Pirates! by Natasha Sutton Williams

The Black Power Desk performers dancing and singing in a rehearsal room.

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Contact us for a link to the industry sharing video and an info pack.

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This UK Black British musical uses an original score of rap, grime, dancehall and soul to shine a light on a rarely explored part of Black British history. This story of belonging, set against a backdrop of 1970s Notting Hill, is inspired by the true events of London’s Black Power movement, and is an energetic call to arms against racial discrimination within the political system. 

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The show is about picking sides, loss, love and the fight against a racist and classist British system. A serious message delivered via infectious beats and unforgettable hooks, with a real carnival atmosphere that has the audience on its feet. The score blends historical influences with the best of contemporary UK sounds.

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Originally commissioned by the Old Vic 12, with direction by Miranda Cromwell (Rockets and Blue Lights, Royal Exchange Theatre,
BBC Lockdown Theatre; Death of a Salesman, Piccadilly Theatre, Young Vic).

 

Development supported by PlayWell Productions, Arts Council England, Brixton House, 1927  and Stage One.

A black ink illustration of Madonna. The

LIVE TO TELL: (A PROPOSAL FOR) THE MADONNA JUKEBOX MUSICAL

Trapped in a disabled body, Brian wants to reinvent himself - just like Madonna. But when real-life survival with HIV clashes with the pop musical form, things change quicker than a Ray of Light...

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For more than thirty years, Madonna has stayed on top, absorbing everything around her and endlessly replicating herself... like a retrovirus that won't go away. Brian's been living with HIV for eight years and counting, reliant on antiretroviral medications that seem to be compromising his brain. He's desperate to make something that will live forever. But before he can make his pitch to the Queen herself, he has to figure out what it really means to survive.

 

Originally developed at Pulse Festival and Yard Live Drafts, LIVE TO TELL is directed by Deirdre McLaughlin (Big Bad, In the Beginning), with digital design by Josh Anio Grigg (Fath Hope and Charity, Dirty Crusty). 

 

Supported by PlayWell Productions, BAC and artsdepot, with participation programme support from Camden People's Theatre.

A skull and crossbones on a rainbow flag

LESBIAN PIRATES!

A new musical based on the untold true story of the ruthless, maverick and lesbian pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. These women met in the Caribbean in 1717 while cross-dressing as male pirates, fell in love, slaughtered swathes of men, stole treasure and escaped execution from the law.

 

Previously erased from history, this riotous, inspiring and incendiary female narrative uses original music and a cast of disabled performers to bring to life Anne and Mary’s sexy, violent and turbulent world.

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Development supported by Unlimited, artsdepot, Unity Theatre Trust, the High Commission for Canada in the UK, and New Wolsey Theatre Testing Ground.

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A PlayWell Productions and Working Birthday co-production.

Tom is a white man with short dark hair

VERY SPECIAL GUEST STAR

The third in Tom Wright's hugely successful coming-of-age trilogy, this is a provocative and darkly entertaining exploration of white and middle-class gay privilege.

 

Following the sold out runs of both Undetectable and My Dad’s Gap Year, this show is building to production in 2021/2, directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair MBE. Supported by PlayWell Productions and Arts Council England.

A montage showing teenagers  from different backgrounds arguing, kissing and in a classroom.

This hard-hitting new play sees a proudly inclusive tough inner-city Coventry school explode into a rapidly escalating identity war. Sex secrets, hip-hop and hope fight for centre stage in this vibrant, in-yer-face, real talk rollercoaster.

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Supported by PlayWell Productions, Arts Council England and Belgrade Theatre Coventry.

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Premiering in 2022.

A background of ocean waves overlaid with a yellow title saying With Courage

WITH COURAGE

Written to coincide with the 2024 bicentenary of the RNLI, this new commission draws on the stories, history and lives of the RNLI's coastal communities as a celebration and commemoration of this world-renowned organisation.

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