Within the arts, as well as on a larger scale, we’re beginning to witness conversations on representation and race take centre stage – addressing the fact that for far too long, many stories reflective of our day to day lives have been marginalised and even prevented from making it onto our main stages. An advocate of East Asian stories taking centre stage, playwright Daniel York Loh presents Invisible Harmony, a part spoken word/part dance piece/part film dismantling the many myths we’ve built up here in the West about the East  brining untold stories to the fore.

Santi & Naz

Under the rumble of the Waterloo train tracks we meet Santi & Naz, two young girls living in India during pre-partition. These best friends are none the wiser to their political situation and with Santi being Sikh and Naz being Muslim, the threat of separation is approaching.  When Naz is introduced to her soon to be much older husband, Santi is concerned for her safety and tries to warn her of the dangers of not just this man but of the violence that is happening all around them. In their childhood fashion they create a plan to escape the marriage which ends in disaster.

The play explores friendship, childhood, loyalty and identity against the backdrop of huge political change. The play is wonderfully written by Guleraana Mir and Afshan D’Souza- Lodhi, showing the innocence of children who want to be friends regardless of their religions. Director Madelaine Moore uses every inch of the small space at The Vaults to create a vibrant picture of India.  There are so many beautiful references with the music and dancing in the piece which transport the audience to the small village where Santi & Naz grew up. Although this is not a true story, the performances from both Ashna Rabheru and Rose-Marie Christian feel so honest and true, reflecting the lives of many young girls in India during this time. They are able to capture the sweetness of childhood, as well as smoothly transition into young adults showing fear and understanding of what is happening to them. A pure delight. 4/5 

Sold

Sold follows the true-life story of Mary Prince, a slave sold from master to master. Mary’s story was lost in history until published in 1831, giving a voice to many others who, like her, endured life as a slave. Using song, dance, story-telling, spoken word and drums, this autobiographical piece is told to us with two actors but with the echoes of thousands of stories. As we watch Mary grow from child to young adult to writer, we witness the heart-breaking journey she takes and yet between all the horror she faces, comes out strong and leaving a legacy.

When asking the cast and the director Euton Daley to sum this play up in 3 words, this proves impossible. This show is passion, truth, rhythm, soul, heartache, it’s a journey and in Euton’s words,‘it is telling it like it is’. Both Amantha Edmead and Angie Amra Anderson tell this story in a way that cuts like a knife. The multi-roling makes it seem as through there is a whole ensemble of actors on stage, moving from character to character showing both the cruel masters, and the painful treatment of Mary and other slaves. Edmead’s ability to show joy in happier times in Mary’s life is incredible to watch, switching from fear and pain to strength, showing her connection to the character. With the drums acting like the heart-beat of the piece, Angie is able to show the contrast of traditions and culture against the relentless oppression, making the play even more powerful. An unbelievable piece of honest theatre, not shying away from the truth no matter how hard that may be to see.  4/5 

Reviews written by Sarah Wells.

Santi & Naz is currently showing until Sunday 2nd February 2020 at the Vault Festival 2020, to find out more about the production, visit here…

Sold is currently showing until Sunday 2nd February 2020 at the Vault Festival 2020, to find out more about the production, visit here…

An inevitable part of existence, death determines the end of our life cycle; a dark part of our reality that we only tend to discuss in the West post someone’s passing, if we’re comfortable enough in opening up about it. Jaco Van Dormael and Michèle Anne De Mey’s daring exploration of moments leading up to seven character’s demise brings light to the normality and mundanity of life, as well as it’s unpredictability as we have no idea of knowing when our time will come to an end.

Courtesy of Julien Lambert.

The story of migration in some way or other affects us all, whether we’ve directly migrated ourselves or our relatives centuries, decades or years prior have had to make the move from one part of the world to another. A universal theme, migration is a facet of humanity that will continue to impact on many and shape their lives. Exploring this facet of humanity in his latest work for the Royal Opera House, Kibwe Tavares presents Aisha and Abaya – a tale of two sisters seeking refuge away from their war torn homeland.

As the show opens, we are introduced to Jack Morris, an actor. We watch him learn his lines surrounded by photos of his glory days, however, it is not long before we see his frailty.

Courtesy of Ellie Kurttz.

What we’re beginning to witness more of on our stages is the importance of presenting a wide range of stories from various perspectives, and this needs to continue to further enrich the theatre experience. Damilola DK Fashola’s Fragments of a Complicated Mind places the complexity of a black woman’s thoughts centre stage, a culmination of storytelling, direct address, dance and poetry bringing the thoughts and feelings of our protagonist to the fore. Ahead of the show, we spoke to Damilola about how she approached creating the show, responses towards the show’s debut last year at the Omnibus Theatre and Theatre503, and what she’d like for audiences to take away from the show!

The script has moments of brilliance, the performances are nuanced and layered, the soundscapes are brilliant and yet I sit wondering if this is actually any good. It should be, there isn’t a disastrous artistic decision I should slate, but there is a lack of cohesion that leaves the play feeling incomplete, or that’s deliberate?

Courtesy of Brinkhoff-Moegenburg.

The Canary and the Crow at the Arcola Theatre in Hackney is a very impressive piece of ‘gig theatre’; a term I was previously unfamiliar with. On this evidence, Middle Child (a ground-breaking company from Hull), have created a potent hybrid of drama, direct address, chamber music, hip-hop and grime. It’s also dynamic, didactic, arresting and fresh and, without realising it, I’ve waited to see a theatrical development like this for a quite a while.

Drawing parallels with our current societal landscape where we’ve witnessed youth violence on the rise, writer and performer Kalungi Ssebandeke travels back in time to Georgian England to give voice to little known boxing superstar Bill Richmond. Created as part of his drama school training, Kalungi presents Black Terror at this year’s Vault Festival from 28th January until 2nd February. Ahead of the run, Kalungi tells us more about exploring Bill Richmond’s narrative, what audiences can expect and what his plans are for the show post Vault Festival!

There’s a monkey in the kitchen, it’s drunk and is pleasuring itself with a hoover, yet I feel an overwhelming sadness throughout this masterfully performed story. Despite not always feeling entirely justified, Chimpanzee is clever and well thought out, and the mime work is very good.