DNA brings together the countless journeys taken by the generations that came before us in this exciting showcase by Tara Theatre’s first Young Company. The innovative and paid engagement programme consisted of a collaborative process over 12 weeks of workshops, devising, movement, rehearsal and  tech culminating in a sharing on the 19-22 April. The 11 Young Company members are formed of actors and theatremakers aged 18-25 who are based in London but whose backgrounds span the globe, from Albania to Pakistan. It’s refreshing to see a company formed of actors and practitioners from non-traditional drama backgrounds taking ownership of their cultural DNA.

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Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a devastating blow, the outcome of treatment given dependent on when cancer within the body is detected. Up until very recently, research into the diagnosis of cancer within black people had been scarce, the NHS and Cancer Research UK having recently conducted a study including almost 700,000 diagnoses of 6 cancer types – breast, colon, non-small cell lung, ovary, prostate and uterine across five ethnic groups in England from 2012-2016. From this research, it was found that black women from Caribbean and African backgrounds are more likely to be diagnosed with certain types of cancer at later stages – 3 or 4 when treatment is less likely to be successful (Cancer Research UK) and. Zoning in on this seldom talked about topic of how cancer impacts black communities, in this particular  case breast cancer, Naomi Denny confronts this with show Unseen, Unheard.

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Following the iconic all women of colour production of Richard II at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse directed by Adjoa Andoh and Lynette Linton in 2019, Andoh returns with a paler sequel of sorts – playing a darker, more villainous Richard who’ll kill anyone who gets in his way of becoming the King of England. This time Andoa tackling race from a different angle, drawing from her own experience of growing up as a minority in a quintessentially white English village. Usually played as a hunchback, Andoh reimagines Richard’s referenced deformity and otherness – “Poisonous bunch-backed toad!” – through the prism of race.

Courtesy of Manuel Harlan.

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Easily the best play I’ve seen this year, STARS is orgasmic in that it’s joyous, sensational and you really don’t want it to end. Mojisola Adebayo is giving us queer, working class, postcolonial, feminist afro-futuristic theatre, a genre I didn’t think could exist, but this is what this play is capable of, new frontiers and my goodness is it delightfully radical too. I savoured every second, from the moment I sank into the beanbags at the ICA to the musical interludes directed by Debo Adebayo. You can watch the sibling duo here chatting through their influences growing up and the vision behind creating STARS, “a concept album on stage” born on a night out in Dublin.

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Taken briefly off guard by a surprise announcement from the influential b-boy duo The Legendary Twins AKA Kevin and Keith Smith, Breakin’ Convention founder Jonzi D watches on as both read out the heartfelt statement inscribed on his award given by the New York State Assembly acknowledging his undeniable contribution to the movement of Hip Hop which celebrates 50 years this year. An advocate of Hip Hop culture here in the UK, Jonzi D has been crucial to bringing Hip Hop to our stages and training the thought leaders of tomorrow. Returning yet again with a weekend long celebration of the form, Breakin’ Convention transforms Sadler’s Wells into a forum to connect, share idea and platform new work.

Courtesy of Belinda Lawley.

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Finding that special someone is a great thing, drawn together by shared interests and an unquestionable romantic pull, the start of a relationship can often be of another world – red flags dismissed, everything seemingly well with the world at the time – until time seeps in and realities hit home. Examining this further in her VAULT Origins Award 2023 nominated show, Rhiannon Neads presents Supernova, a look at how a couple of cosplayers, in love with space collide and navigate their newly found connection.

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Set to stage the 20th edition of Breakin’ Convention, a weekend long celebration of Hip Hop, the event’s founder Jonzi D has led the way when it comes to platforming national/international/established/emerging talent – bridging the gap between artists and encouraging exchange. Taking place on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th April, the event will comprise of a compact programme of exciting dance acts, as well as activities across Sadler’s Wells building honouring Hip Hop’s core elements of breaking/graffiti/DJing/Mcing/Knowledge. Ahead of event, Jonzi D explains what the weekend will entail!

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“I entered the programme an emerging artist and I am leaving as a mid-career artist with a plethora of experience, connections and opportunities all stemming from this programme.”

BEYOND Participant

As Graeae’s BEYOND initiative enters its third year, the ground-breaking programme designed to remove barriers and transform the careers of Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists across the UK, today issues an invitation to artists to participate.

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Moving on from the lingering spectre of trauma often is an incredibly difficult process to undertake, for some, moving on proving to be too much. Painful revelations about someone you thought you knew resulting in devastating effects. Fearless in her observation of how a resilient, unapologetic family of women take on the world post the passing of an abusive patriarchal presence, Clean Break and Deborah Bruce presents Dixon and Daughters.

Courtesy of Helen Murray.

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Ramps on the Moon is changing the arts and culture sector by elevating the presence of deaf and disabled people into the heart of theatre, on and off stage. Michèle Taylor, Director for Change, co-founder of Ramps on the Moon and UK leader on Disability Equality, has launched her first podcast series where she delves deep into mainstream theatre to discover what the realities are now, and what the future holds for disability equality in the arts.

Michèle talks to industry guests about their personal experiences as well as their organisational learning. The conversation is open and honest as guests reveal their own journeys – their triumphs, learning, failures and what it means to change a company’s culture around ableism. 

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