Hailed as a symbol of the women empowerment movement in the early 60s, the pill – a medication that disrupts the usual flow of the menstrual cycle and stops the process of fertilisation, would be seen as a step forward in the fight for equality and women’s rights. However, decades down the line, has this necessarily been the case? Offering an honest account of her very own experience of taking the pill, Rebecca Pythian presents autobiographical show Pill as part of this year’s Clapham Fringe Festival line up.

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Ending in tragedy, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet is a storyline familiar with many – two teens from warring families brought together by their unrivalled affection for one another. Set in stone, their fates sadly play out, the impact this has on those around them clear to see. But what happens if their fates are tweaked and changed? Inspired by Queen’s A Night at the Opera album and Romeo & Juliet, Hideki Noda presents A Night at the Kabuki, a delve into rival families – the Genji and the Taira’s worlds – set in 12th century Japan.

Courtesy of Kishin Shinoyama.

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The Romeo and Juliet love story has really caught the imaginations of many, variations of the ill-fated love affair a staple of the globe’s artistic sphere. An adaptation of the Shakespearean tale, the multi-award winning and celebrated musical West Side Story, released in 1961, continues to grip audiences and inspire. Taking elements of the iconic musical, Proud London present West Side Cabaret Story, an energetic, compact interpretation of our star crossed lovers, Tony and Maria’s rendezvous.

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TodayTix Group, the global e-commerce leader for cultural experiences, have announced that it has acquired Secret Cinema, the London-based entertainment company that specialises in immersive film and television events. Secret Cinema’s popularity has exploded over the past 10 years. The company has sold over one million tickets to more than 50 shows, secured a multi-year, multi-title deal with Disney (kicking off with Guardians of the Galaxy), and produced experiences with major movie studios including Marvel, Universal, Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony, Netflix, and Eon Productions. Secret Cinema’s latest shows have attracted massive audiences, with Casino Royale reaching an audience of over 100,000 in London, and its collaboration with Netflix, Stranger Things, drawing over 300,000 people in its first Los Angeles production.

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A long lasting consequence of the Transatlantic slave trade, colourism has formed a detrimental world view of what beauty looks like, shades of skin ranked from seemingly more desirable than the other, hair and body types scrutinised under the European standard of beauty – something that has sadly caused division within African and Caribbean cultures up until this very day. Making its debut 20 years ago at the turn of the millennium, Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman examines this warped ideology in a powerful two hander that now more than ever, post Black Lives Matter, strongly resonates.

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We Make Tomorrow 2022 is a whole day summit bringing together voices from across the cultural community at the forefront of creative climate action. With contributions from poets, artists, musicians and writers, Julie’s Bicycle invites all cultural organisations and individuals across the UK and beyond to join, collaborate and be inspired. Reflections on leadership and climate justice have been curated together with support from social justice creatives MAIA; cross-cultural folk music curators, Nest Collective; neighbourhood economics lab Civic Square; and critically acclaimed dramaturg, Anthony Simpson-Pike.

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We take on traditions that are generations deep, without question, following on from what has gone before. Our ancestors themselves onlookers to structures followed, these deeply ingrained and therefore hard to challenge and break. An exploration of family trauma throughout the generations, confrontations and the interpretation of faith, Kwame Asafo-Adjei presents Family Honour, an opportunity to examine the many behaviours and structures that go unquestioned and simply observe them.

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Almost confronted with the frightening prospect of a life without water in 2018, the inhabitants of Cape Town, South Africa, were the first in the world to suffer from a drought so severe, that water supplies dropped significantly low – forcing inhabitants to ration on water use. This fortunately did not last, with adequate rainfall finally putting an end to this worrying circumstance and increasing water levels once more. Zoning in on this possible reality within the UK 25 years from now, Magda Bird’s Salt acts as a warning and wake up call as to what could play out.

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The P Word is an accomplished political play about the hostile environment faced by LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. Raucously funny and unapologetically problematic Waleed Akhtar’s two-hander tells the story of two Pakistani gay men in their thirties whose lives collide at Pride. Throughout the play, audience members hummed in satisfaction at the wit, the humour, the political resonance, and sheer humanity that transcends borders and sexuality. A play I will certainly be seeing again before the end of this short run 22 October, but no doubt will be revived time and time again. There are plays you see that mark a pivotal moment in a nation’s history, The P Word is one of these plays.

Courtesy of Craig Fuller.

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