Boy Blue will mark its 25th anniversary with the premiere of 25 Stories at Theatre Royal Stratford East this November, alongside the launch of a new filmed podcast series, Boy Blue: 25 Years in Motion.
Created by Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante, Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy and writer Inua Ellams, 25 Stories brings together movement, music, spoken word and personal testimony to reflect on the company’s journey over the past quarter-century.
Developed from stories shared by alumni, current dancers and long-time collaborators, the production draws on contributions spanning five distinct eras of Boy Blue’s history. Voice notes, films, letters and conversations have been transformed into a performance work that explores the people and experiences behind the company’s success.
The production marks a significant homecoming for Boy Blue, returning to Theatre Royal Stratford East where the company first demonstrated its potential as a theatre-maker, laying the foundations for its Olivier Award-winning breakthrough production Pied Piper: A Hip-Hop Dance Revolution.
Michael ‘Mikey J’ Asante said: “This isn’t about me and Ken. It’s about everyone who has ever moved through Boy Blue, the ones who stayed, and the ones who took what they learned and went and did their own thing.”
Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy added: “It’s always been about family and community. 25 Stories is us handing the mic to the people who built that with us, the dancers who came from all over the UK just to be part of the tribe. This is their story as much as ours.”
Working collaboratively with Boy Blue’s co-founders, Inua Ellams has used the collected stories as source material, shaping an evolving creative exchange where writing, music and choreography continually respond to one another.
Ellams said: “It’s such an honour to work with a company as ground breaking as this, and friends who not only happen to be its artistic directors, but who are also open, benevolent, collaborators who have given me keys to their treasure-trove of memories, from which to sculpt an epic narrative.”
The anniversary celebrations also include Boy Blue: 25 Years in Motion, a five-episode filmed podcast series produced by RMG Studios. Launching from 12 October, the series sees Asante and Sandy explore the company’s history through candid conversations covering each five-year chapter of Boy Blue’s evolution.
Theatre Royal Stratford East Artistic Director Lisa Spirling said: “We are delighted to welcome Boy Blue back to this historic building, where they first started some 25 years ago. This brilliant company continues to represent so much of what we stand for at Stratford East: community, innovation, celebration, and a hugely entertaining night out. As a theatre we have always platformed work that challenges simple genre definition, and this new piece, with its bold use of music, dance and storytelling, is an excellent addition to that lineage.”
25 Stories runs at Theatre Royal Stratford East from 5 to 7 November 2026.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
