Theatre highlights this October include tiata fahodzi’s triple bill Talking About a Revolution at the Lyric Theatre.
If you want to catch some live dance, make sure to check out Dickson Mbi’s Enowata at Sadler’s Wells, Cherish Menzo’s Jezebel at the Battersea Arts Centre or the Change Tempo triple bill at Brixton House Theatre.
Talking About a Revolution by Diana Nneka Atuona, babirye bukilwa and Malaika Kegode
British African heritage contemporary theatre company tiata fahodzi presents a triple bill of short plays and world premieres by Diana Nneka Atuona, babirye bukilwa and Malaika Kegode. Two Black lesbians kidnap Black celebrity mogul Kevin West. A trans woman refuses to leave the women’s changing room. And an Incel’s cousin takes to Instagram Live. Three exciting voices in British theatre respond to the moment we find ourselves in with their own versions of revolution – unvarnished, honest and raw.
Talking About a Revolution plays at the Lyric from Wednesday 12th October-Saturday 15th October
Book tickets and find out more here.
Elephant by Anoushka Lucas
A piano came through the sky and landed in Lylah’s council flat, just for her. As she pours over the keys and sound floods into all the rooms, Lylah falls in love. At school, Lylah can’t ask questions – she’s got to be good, good, good or else she’ll lose her scholarship. At home she can’t ask questions; her cousins say she talks weird, and her parents are distracted.
So she asks her piano: Where did you come from? Why are you here? And their shared history tumbles into the light. Part gig, part piano lesson, part journey through Empire – Elephant is a new Bush commission thatfirst appeared as part of the Bush’s Protest series, a response to the murder of George Floyd.
Elephant plays at the Bush Theatre from Monday 24th October-Saturday 12th November.
Book tickets and find out more here.
King Hamlin by Gloria Williams
After his dad dies, Hamlin’s goal is to finish school, get a good job, and build a better life for himself and his mum, Mama H. When live-wire Quinn and troubled Nic offer Hamlin easy money in return for some county line drug trafficking, his dreams, his mother’s hopes and the friendship of the three are put to the test. Will Hamlin stand his ground or end up on the wrong side of the tracks?
King Hamlin plays at the Park Theatre from Wednesday 19th October-Saturday 12th November.
Book tickets and find out more here.
Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith
Alma and Gene have grown up together. She dreams of a life beyond the confines of their small town. But when their friendship develops into something more serious, Gene’s fate becomes tragically intertwined with hers and they can’t escape the legacy of racism and the tensions within their own community.
Yellowman streams on demand from Tuesday 11th October-Friday 14th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
Grandad Anansi by Elayne Ogbeta
Abi and her Grandad tell each other Anansi folktales. They play games as they work together in the garden among the beautiful flowers and tasty vegetables. As they plant memories, they share secrets and develop a bond that nothing can break. Grandad is as smart and mischievous as the wily Anansi legend. Can he find a way to tell his granddaughter about his plans to return to Jamaica, his beloved homeland? Join our intrepid characters in this humorous and heartfelt intergenerational adventure, as they step into the unexpected. With evocative live music, Grandad Anansi is an uplifting tale of love, courage and letting go.
Grandad Anansi plays at the Lyric Hammersmith from Tuesday 25th October-Saturday 29th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
Enowate by Dickson Mbi
Inspired by a life-changing journey to his ancestral home in Cameroon, in Enowate Dickson Mbi explores how the animistic practices of his African heritage meet his upbringing in London’s East End. Enowate, meaning ‘truth stands’, draws on sinuous elements of hip-hop and contemporary dance in combination with original music and otherworldly animated projections. In asking the relatable question, ‘who am I?’, he connects with enigmatic forces to reveal himself and emerge from the shadows.
Enowate plays at Sadler’s Wells Theatre from Friday 14th October-Saturday 15th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
Hyde & Seek by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu
Set in and around the Azazel Housing Estate in London in the not too distant future, Hyde & Seek is a radical re-imagining of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel Jekyll and Hyde, exploring tensions that exist within our idea of selfhood. This gripping new thriller, told with dynamic lyricism, takes us on a journey through the dualities of light and dark that exist within us all.
Hyde & Seek plays at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama from Monday 24th October-Saturday 29th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
Jezebel by Cherish Menzo
Jezebel is a dance performance inspired by female models who appeared in late 90s hip hop music videos. Images in the mass media often projected females in a hyper-sensualized way, reinforcing stereotypes associated with black / dark / coloured women. Join Jezebel as she navigates the landscape of hip hop culture, searching for ways to reclaim her own image.
Jezebel plays at Battersea Arts Centre from Thursday 6th October-Friday 14th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
I Wonder If devised by the Company
Two people meet. The rest is infinite. She’s moving to Birmingham and he’s from London. They end up at the same party. We think we know how this story ends. But what happens next in this story will be shaped by the choices they make in each moment. As their growing friendship is steered by the changing beat of the drum, they’ll wrestle with which version of themselves they choose to be and the possible futures they could share.
I Wonder If plays at the Young Vic from Monday 24th October-Saturday 29th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
Change Tempo by Luiz de Abreu, Joy Alpuerto Ritter and Linda Hayford
Dance Umbrella is thrilled to bring three international artists to Brixton House for a mixed bill exploring themes of transformation, transmission and representation. In the radical solo work, O Samba do Crioulo Doido, choreography is passed from one Black body to another as Luiz de Abreu and Calixto Neto use dance as a means of deconstructing racialised identities. In BABAE, Joy Alpuerto Ritter combines inherited vocabularies rooted in Philippine folk dance, classical, hip hop and vogue. And, in Shapeshifting, Linda Hayford uses popping to communicate her state of mind – her evocative style conjures an otherworldly existence as she passes from one form to another.
Change Tempo plays at Brixton House Theatre from Wednesday 12th October-Thursday 13th October.
Book tickets and find out more here.
