Talawa Theatre Company is heading outdoors this summer with Fragments of Us, a thought-provoking new production exploring the lived experiences of Black boys and men. Staged at various festivals across England, the intimate performance explores profound themes of identity, resilience, vulnerability, and the inherent beauty of shared human experience.
Presented as part of Talawa’s landmark 40th-anniversary celebrations, the production is highly supported by the outdoor arts consortium Without Walls. The piece is created in a close creative collaboration with FUBUNATION, a London-based Black British contemporary dance company, alongside acclaimed theatre and live art practitioner Sonia Hughes.
Through a delicate blend of fluid movement, intricate choreography, and poignant poetry, the performers reveal vital snapshots of their personal stories. These snapshots capture universal moments of joy, struggle, love, and loss. The outdoor staging utilizes spontaneous interactions to create an intimate dialogue with the crowd, directly inviting audience members to reflect deeply on their own life connections. Backed by rhythmic beats and soulful expressions, Fragments of Us serves as a powerful celebration of community, brotherhood, and the collective history that shapes Black identity.
Audiences can catch the outdoor production at Certain Blacks’ Ensemble Festival in London’s Royal Victoria Docks on 25 and 26 July 2026. The tour then moves to the Stockton International Riverside Festival on 2 August 2026, before wrapping up at the Birmingham Weekender on 30 August 2026.
The production stands as one of ten major outdoor arts commissions receiving crucial backing from the Without Walls programme this year. The network consists of over 35 organisations dedicated to bringing premier outdoor arts to diverse towns and cities. The tour arrives alongside the publication of A Strategy for Joy and Belonging, a new blueprint commissioned by OutdoorArtsUK, Without Walls, and 101 Outdoor Arts. Developed to enhance social cohesion, the strategy outlines long-term sustainability measures to ensure outdoor performances continue to reach mainstream audiences for years to come.
