By Naylah Ahmed, Sonali Bhattacharyya, Jennifer Farmer, Lorna French, Amber Lone and Cheryl Akila Payne
Directed by Gwenda Hughes
In October 2005, violent disturbances in the Lozells area of Birmingham led to two deaths, serious damage and riot police on the streets of Britain’s second city.
The events were sparked by rumours, fanned by a local pirate radio station, of the gang rape of a young Jamaican girl by a group of Asian men, but came after simmering tensions between communities in the area.
The events form the inspiration for a new play commissioned by Birmingham Repertory Theatre. These Four Streets tells the fictionalised story of over 30 characters caught in the momentum of unfolding events.
A collaboration between six young female writers, it was inspired by their own meetings and interviews with dozens of local people who were connected to or affected by the Lozells disturbances.
Naseem is the proud new owner of the African Queen Beauty Salon. Determined to make a success of the business, she delays locking up her shop one night for a final appointment, but the customer - an unruly teenager - wants more from Naseem than a haircut.
In the offices of Tabs Cabs, radio operator Grace is one of the first to hear about the violence spreading through the neighbourhood. Alone in the taxi firm's office, behind a door that doesn't lock, Grace just wants to remain unnoticed until things calm down. Then a man walks in and demands a hammer...
“This is a bold new commission for The REP,” says Artistic Director, Rachel Kavanaugh. “The repercussions of those events are still being felt, and what actually happened continues to be debated, but I think it is vital to face the complex issues raised and give a voice to people who are too often overlooked – and I think that drama is an incredibly powerful tool to do that.
“The play looks at the experiences of people who live in areas which they might feel that everyone else has given up on. But there is also a more positive story about the people brave enough to reach across that divide. The six young female writers who have collaborated on the play, who come from a variety of backgrounds themselves, spent a long time talking to local people and those authentic voices bring the story to life.
“This play may be inspired by events in Birmingham, but it could equally have been set in many inner city areas across the country.”
The REP has a long history of commissioning and producing new plays, many of which have dealt with contemporary issues. Previous world premieres have included East Is East by Ayub Khan-Din, Frozen and Last Easter by Bryony Lavery, Behsharam (Shameless) and Behzti (Dishonour) by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, Katherine De Souza by Nick Stafford, Pornography by Simon Stephens and Taking Care of Baby by Dennis Kelly.
Writer Naylah Ahmed is the founding script editor for the BBC Asian Network’s radio drama, series Silver Street and has both written and produced plays for radio. Naylah recently won the Bruntwood Playwriting Competition at the Royal Exchange Manchester. Sonali Bhattacharyya’s most recent play, A Thin Red Line, was co-commissioned by The REP and Kali Theatre and was nominated for a South Bank Award. Lorna French is a graduate of The REP’s young writers programme, Transmissions. She has written for the Royal Court, Eclipse Theatre and the Young Vic and has won the Pearson Playwright bursary and also the Alfred Fagon award. Birmingham born Amber Lone’s first play Paradise was produced at The REP. She has also written plays for Soho Theatre, Kali Theatre, Theatre Centre and the BBC. Also from Birmingham, Cheryl Akila Payne earned a place on The REP’s Pen 2 Paper scheme after graduating from University. Since then Cheryl has written for the 360 Degree monologue series at The REP and also for the international theatre project One Hundred Words. The final writer, Jennifer Farmer has written for the Bush Theatre, Clean Break, Paines Plough and the Tricycle Theatre. Her play Bulletproof Soul was produced by The REP in 2007 as part of the theatre’s annual Community Tour.
These Four Streets will be directed by Gwenda Hughes, a former Associate Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre and also former Artistic Director of the New Vic in Newcastle-Under-Lyme. Her previous credits include Katherine De Souza, Whispers of Angels’ and Once On This Island for The REP, The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie, The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall, Dancing at Lughnasa and Four Nights In Knaresborough for the New Vic. Designing These Four Streets will be Michael Holt, with lighting by Simon Bond and sound by James Earl-Davies.
The cast includes, Matthew-James Brown, Lorna Laidlaw, Janice McKenzie, Inam Mirza, Zita Sattar and Elexi Walker.
Commissioned by The REP, These Four Streets, supported by the Sir Barry Jackson Trust, will also tour regionally to schools and colleges as part of the theatre’s annual Community Tour.
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