Theatre of Protest: From the Streets of Revolution

15 Jan 2012 / Studio Theatre

Mama Quilla Productions present a day of performance and debate in response to recent riots in London and Libya.

"Mama Quilla shows that theatre still has the capacity to address public issues." Guardian 

LINE UP:

If Anyone Recognises These Young People…? - 4pm
Made at Barking College of Performing Arts, with 30 young East Enders, it dramatises events around the student protests on 9 December 2010 in Westminster, as the English Parliament voted to increase tuition fees. While in the liberal press, the student protests were described as “a generation finding its voice”, prior to our production, only 12 out of a cast of 30 Barking students said they were likely to vote in a general election in the UK. They believed “the student protesters were probably all rich”. Barking College of Performing Arts under Mark Civil produces five original theatre pieces for huge casts of young people every year. “The standard of the productions is staggering.” – Steven Beard, actor, RSC, RNT, Old Vic, films Remains of the Day, Shakespeare in Love, etc.

The Women’s Spring - 5.15pm
Beyond verbatim, inspired and informed by real accounts, this new short piece explores what the women of the Arab Revolution might have said. It is performed for Mama Quilla by Arinda Alexander, Sarah Akigbogun, Tina Gray, Jennifer James, Jody Jameson, Rus Kallan, Eugenia Low, Margery Mason and Vivienne Rochester.

Chorus Workshop - 5.45pm
A 15-minute chorus workshop, open to all, to create a minute of theatre to be performed in the evening.

Protest & Survive? Self-Help & Co-Operation - 7pm
An open discussion on overcoming injustices with participation of groups based at Crossroads Women’s Centre. These groups include All African Women’s Group, Black Women’s Rape Action Project, English Collective of Prostitutes, Global Women’s Strike (GWS) and Women of Colour in the GWS, Payday Men’s Network, Single Mothers’ Self Defence, Women Against Rape, and WinVisible (Women with Visible and Invisible Disabilities). The Crossroads Women’s Centre in Kentish Town provides a home to over 15 organisations, projects and services. It was named after the brave women of the squatter town of Crossroads, South Africa, who refused to be moved, keeping alive the struggle against apartheid through the hardest times. Fundraising is underway to complete refurbishment by end January 2012 of a larger Centre nearby.

The London Summer - 8pm
Two theatre shorts.
Young East Enders respond to the English riots with their own rhyme and rap. Students from City Lit respond to the inquiry into the English riots by the Guardian and the LSE (made in 5 hours as a Mama Quilla Play In A Day). 

Stones - 8.45pm
A specially commissioned 5-minute film presents notes from the global protests as observed by a child.

Words From The Streets - 8.50pm
A live video stream from St Paul’s brings us up to date on Occupy London.

A Silence (working title) - 9pm
An original, short, wordless live art piece made by Mark Civil will explore enforced silence.

Chorus - 9.05pm
A short performance made in the Chorus Workshop earlier.
 
Untitled - 9.06pm
A short theatre poem written by Kay Adshead, performed by award-winning actress, Sarah Niles, directed by Kully Thiarai.
"Words in Adshead's hands are bullets." Independent