For the first time in the company’s thirty-three years, Talawa Theatre Company is to present its first ever show created exclusively for outdoor performance. Co-created by choreographer Jade Hackett and writer Ryan Cameron, The Tide explores the narratives and experiences of migration within The United Kingdom. The Tide is free to view and no booking is required.
Unknown land, new arrivals, boarded doors and a suitcase full of hopes, dreams and aspirations. Through a fusion of hip-hop and live music, The Tide presents an abstract and visually exciting look at stories of arrival, welcome, rejection and exclusion. With live music providing punctuation to the action, The Tide’s artists navigate through the storyline reflecting the hopes, fears and experiences of new arrivals to the UK in their new land, holding a mirror to an evolving British culture.
Artistic Director Michael Buffong said: “We wanted to step outside of a traditional theatre setting and engage with audiences in a different way. We also wanted to present complex ideas in a new and exciting way, to find out how audiences thought about these issues and engage with artists whose background wasn’t in traditional theatre, so that we could learn from that experience and enrich our work.”
The cast includes Davie Bennie, William Brettle, Jackie Kibuka and Elsabet Yonas.
The Tide is a Talawa Theatre Company, Greenwich+Docklands International Festival, and Breakin’ Convention co-production. The production is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Brighton Festival and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival.
The Tide is at Brighton Festival 11th May, Norfolk and Norwich Festival 18th and 19th May and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival 29th June 2019.
