Conceived by Levi Roots, the reggae musician, chef and entrepreneur, Sound Clash: Death in the Arena is a contemporary street musical about star-crossed lovers. This world premiere is written by the award-winning novelist and playwright, Alex Wheatle MBE, produced by Adrian Grant (Thriller – Live), choreographed by Jade Hackett (Hex, National Theatre; Get Up, Stand
Up), and directed by renowned director and actor Ray Shell (the originator of Nomax in Five Guys Named Moe and Rusty in Starlight Express). It tells a story of young love, betrayal, and murder in the dancehall.
Enter Sound City; where music is everything, and two warring sound systems – The Eagles and The Thunders – fight for power. When young lovers, Ashley and Kazzandra, are torn apart by family politics and musical warfare, what follows are electric dance-offs and lyrical battles in the Sound Clash Arena.
Typically, a sound clash is a musical competition where crew members from opposing sound systems of DJs, engineers and MCs pit their skills against each other. The object is to beat or “kill” their competitors. Sound Clash: Death in the Arena brings dancehall culture into a dystopian world divided by music.
This dynamic production uses fan-favourite tunes alongside modern hits and drama to tell an iconic love story that has, at its heart, a clarion call for tolerance and equality. Sound Clash: Death in the Arena is a thrilling new event production, set to bring the pounding bass of battle to Edinburgh.
Levi Roots comments, Jamaican sound system culture plays one of the most important roles in the evolution of Reggae, Ska, Dancehall, Hip Hop, Grime, Jungle, Drum & Bass, Afrobeats and many more forms of music we enjoy today. I wanted to shine a light on this unsung phenomena by putting it on stage for the first time and to bring it to a new audience in the theatres.
