Park Theatre, London Metropolitan University and the Andover Estate Community Centre have joined forces to present The Talking Drum: Voices from the Andover Estate, a new verbatim play exploring more than five decades of life on one of London’s most misunderstood housing estates.
Written and directed by Tony Graham, the production runs in Park90 at Park Theatre from 19 to 29 August 2026.
Created from three years of interviews with Andover Estate residents, The Talking Drum offers a powerful alternative to the negative media narratives that have surrounded the estate for decades. Through a series of interwoven stories, the production introduces audiences to a diverse range of residents, including a retired ballerina facing homelessness, a youth worker challenging stereotypes, a resident known as ‘007’ seeking to make his voice heard by the council, and NJ, who dreams of playing the African drums.
Developed from research conducted by a London Metropolitan University project team led by Professor John Gabriel, alongside Dr Alya Khan and former Andover Estate resident Gulser Rose Kaya, the play seeks to celebrate community while challenging assumptions about class, identity and social housing.
Tony Graham said: “A few years ago, I was at a meeting where John Gabriel had made a short presentation about the Andover Oral History project. To transform it into theatre was just taking it a step further and, with superb support and encouragement from Park Theatre, offering that platform. It’s been important to capture the residents’ voices and experiences honestly while finding a way to do what theatre does: to entertain, challenge, enlighten and surprise us.”
The university team has continued working closely with residents throughout the play’s development, including workshops with the Andover Estate Youth Group.
Gulser Rose Kaya said: “As a former resident of the Andover Estate and a long serving volunteer in the community, being involved in the oral history project has been incredibly meaningful to me. What I value most about the project is its commitment to co-production, with residents playing an active role in telling their own stories.”
“Ultimately, I hope the play not only preserves the stories of the estate but also encourages policymakers, housing providers, and others to listen to residents and learn from their lived experiences when making decisions that shape our communities.”
The project builds on Park Theatre’s longstanding relationship with the Andover Community Centre. Through its Creative Engagement programme, the theatre has supported local creative initiatives ranging from writing groups and theatre trips to workshops and community events.
Park Theatre Artistic Director Jez Bond said: “In recent years, we’ve worked closely with the Andover Community Centre offering a range of engagement activities to celebrate creativity on the Andover Estate. We’re excited to strengthen our relationship with the estate and the Andover Community Centre even further as we collaborate with them on The Talking Drum, which is not only a captivating work of verbatim drama, but also an essential opportunity to amplify the voices of residents of the estate.”
The cast includes Sanya Adegbola, Andy de la Tour, Victoria Evaristo and Géhane Strehler. Design is by Rachana Jadhav, with lighting by Jodie Underwood and sound design by Tate Hingorani-Short.
Tickets and further information are available here.
