Out Here show

Easy

Been a while. Been busy

So one of the projects I’ve been working on for the last year, is a project called Friends From Afar, with a Westminster based arts organisation called Dream Arts. It’s a group of young people (15-21) from all around the world; who are living in London. I co-lead it with Catherine Palmer; who I’ve worked with before through Pilot Theatre and Young & Talented.

We meet every Thursday and we do a bit of a drama and music, play some games and eat some food.. We’ve been slowly developing this show over the last year. Most of the group have never done anything like this before but the premise, the characters and a number of the scenes; were all create dby them, we’re really proud of them.

All the music in the show is being triggered via a loopstation. Part of the process has been me showing them the basics of beatboxing and rapping.

It’s been a really rewarding project, not only are they a great and fun group to work with, I’ve been able to put a script togethor as well as work with them to compose all the songs. It’s rare I get to facilitate, put a script togethor and do the music, outisde of my own solo stuff.

I started last year, just as we came out the pandemic, so I felt rusty and I’d lost a bit of confidence. I was skint, the grants had dried up and I was pulling my hair about how I was going to continue doing this, so when Catherine phoned me out the blue, I jumped on board.

Here we are, one year ater about to bang-out a show at the Institute of Contempory arts, in London. Come through, it’s gonna be sick. #TSOOP

Intro to spoken word workshop

Last week, I did a You-Tube live workshop, for the Tramshed; in An Introduction To Spoken Word.

I enjoyed myself, despite having done a bunch of Zoom sessions over this last year, this was the first time I did it live on You Tube, so I had to take a different approach to what I’d normally do.

I couldn’t see anyone, as I was on Zoom which was then broadcast onto You Tube but there was a team of 4 people behind the scenes doing all sorts of cool techy things to make it happen.

I based the session on using a personal object where you live as the basis to write a story, as well as giving one of my own, large up Stripey Bear. Have a watch / go below.

The workshop was part of Tramshed’s All Together Now, which are free arts workshops every Tuesday and Sunday at 4pm, get involved, they’ve had a whole bunch of different stuff on there.

CRONGTON KNIGHTS FESTIVAL #CKFESTIVAL

Back at the start of this year, I began working with both Pilot Theatre and Young & Talented, running workshops with groups of young people up and down the country to make response pieces to the currently touring play Crongton Knights, which is an adaptation on the YA novel written by Alex Wheatle. The musical director on the show, is my Beats & Elements sparring partner, Conrad Murray. So of course, all of the music in the show is created by the cast, using beatbox, rap, singing and spoken word. So right up my street.

Young & Talented is a theatre school, based in London that run classes across the age spectrum. I was approached by Suzann McLean to work with the Theatre Peckham strand and also, with Catherine Palmer in the Bethnal Green strand. Due to this virus, of course, all of this work was cut short. However, for what seems like a huge effort from all those at Y&T, Theatre Peckham and Pilot , the artists and of course, all of the young people, they went on the produce the online #CKFESTIVAL.

 Below, you can see some of the pieces that I worked on with them. It was a real pleasure.