Talawa, bringing the rave to Fairfield Halls theatre
Croydon-based theatre company, Talawa, will be bringing the rave to Fairfield Halls theatre in September.
The production of Run It Back, which will include a live set from DJ Psykhomantus, is set in an explosive club night and hopes to immerse the audience in black British club culture with dance and physical theatre.
Tickets for the show will be released soon and sold on a pay-whatyou-can basis, and the show will run from September 2 until September 18 at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls theatre in Park Lane.
Over their 34-year history, Talawa Theatre Company has put on more than 50 productions, and since lockdown rules eased, and live performances resumed, Talawa has been focusing on growing its community engagement plan and building on its community focus in Croydon.
Talawa’s executive director and joint chief executive, Carolyn ML Forsyth said: “We’ve placed audience development and community engagement at the heart of our programme.
“We’re focused on launching in Croydon and talking to our communities nationwide, building towards UK-wide activities over the next four years.
“It’s an exciting time to be at Talawa!” Talawa offers a stage for black creative voices, supporting artists from African and Caribbean heritage.
Their plays aim to build understanding and start conversations around important topics such as unconscious bias, diversity, and inclusion, by reflecting black experiences through art.
As part of their anniversary celebrations, the theatre company has also launched a series of plays, which were on BBC 4 last month.
Talawa and producers Feral inc. collaborated with Sian Davila, Charles Entsie and Roberta Livingston to showcase original audio dramas.
The three plays, all written by up-and-coming writers, were filled with a star-studded cast including Alfred Enoch, Lydia West and Don Warrington.
Artistic director and Joint chief executive of Talawa Theatre Company, Michael Buffong, said: “Talawa Theatre Company has consistently worked with writers to develop new stories.
“With these three stories, Talawa’s commitment to broadening and enriching the canon of British playwriting takes us in new directions.”
Later this year, Talawa will offer opportunities and workshops for black artists, creatives, and communities to learn about and explore theatre-making.
They will also be expanding their month-long summer school into a nine-month programme, from autumn 2021 to spring 2022.
Thirty participants aged 18 to 25 will develop a devised performance and take part in offstage workshops and production skills.
Future plays will include Archie Maddocks’ A Place for We, which is set in a funeral parlour in nearby Brixton and tells the story of London’s changing communities over three very different generations.