Sharing a powerful and moving story of queer communities in Brixton and domestic spaces, On Railton Road is the first theatre production to be staged at Hackney’s amazing Museum of the Home.
Netflix sensation Hannah van der Westhusysen (Fate: The Winx Saga, Netflix; Salty Irina, Summerhall), will star as Casper, as the production highlights the lived experiences of gay squatters in the 70s.
Joining them on stage will be West-End wizard, Thomas Royal (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Palace Theatre) in the role of Philip, alongside Manish Gandhi (Call the Midwife, BBC; Silent Witness, BBC) as Ned and Jamal Franklin (Midsummer Mechanicals, The Globe; King Lear, National Theatre Live) as Darie. Jaye Hudson (GRILLS, Camden People’s Theatre; Trans Day of Joy, Somerset House) will play the role of Atom, alongside fellow Queer Tours of London performer Dan de la Motte as Clifford (Live to Tell: (A Proposal for) The Madonna Jukebox, Omnibus Theatre), Aoife Smith (If This Is Normal, VAULT Festival) as Marie and Nicholas Marrast-Lewis (Bogeyman, Edinburgh Fringe Festival; Scenes With Girls, The Royal Court Theatre) as Jack.
Developed with the support of Jerwood Arts, On Railton Road will be performed by The Brixton Pansies, a theatre troupe of queer actors formed by artist and director Ian Giles (A Reflection in Time, BBC Sounds) to tell the story of Brixton’s gay squatting community. This initiative mirrors the lively street theatre groups who were active in the 1970s; gay people used theatre to share their experiences and grievances with a wider public.
Writer Louis Rembges (Chatham House Rules, Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the recipient of the BOLD 2023 Playwriting Prize, as well as an alumni of the Royal Court’s Intro to Playwriting Group; his script will be supported by a score devised by Sophie Crawford (War Horse, The National Theatre; Amelie the Musical, UK Tour). All puppetry is designed by award-winning London-based puppet artist, Oliver James Hymans who has created puppets for events at Tate Moden and the National Gallery.
On Railton Road is a hedonistic drama about the pioneering Brixton queer squatters who fought for a place to call home. Casper wants to bomb WH Smiths, Daire wants to put on a play, Atom is naked in the garden on an acid trip and Ned just wants to be with Philip and live on Railton Road forever. Throwing audiences headlong into Brixton’s radical past, On Railton Road will share how queer activism transformed the lives of this unique community. Based on real events and archival scripts by the Brixton Faeries, Ian Giles has created this bold new production with an exciting ensemble cast and creative team to bring this revolutionary period to life.
Creator and Director Ian Giles comments, What came through during auditions was how timely this play feels- the housing crisis and cost of living crisis echoes the 70s when over 30,000 people squatted across London. Squatting enabled queer people to live together like never before – they had the creative freedom to make new spaces, protest and make art. The 70s are undoubtedly a key decade in queer rights, it’s the period between the Stonewall uprising and before Section 28; gay people began to find space within society and made their voices heard – this echoes trans rights today. The mantra of the Gay Liberation Front was ‘Gay is Good’ -a message that still needs to be held aloft around the world today.
