What people you know can party through all of the earth’s elements?
Nicole Lecky (Superhoe, Royal Court Theatre; C4’s Fresh Meat, Channel 4; SENSE8, Netflix), Annice Boparai (17, The Vaults; Trojan Horse, Edinburgh) and Yvette Boakye (Girls, UK tour and Soho Theatre; Heroine & Kanye The First, HighTide Festival) will bring to life J’Ouvert, the debut play from one of Theatre503’s resident playwright’s Yasmin Joseph. An incredible team of black women and non-binary artists join forces to present a rhythmic and vibrant testimony of womanhood in this authentic show.
It’s the Notting Hill Carnival and the streets in West London are alive. In dazzling colour and endless sequins and feathers, Jade and Nadine are fighting for space in a world they thought was theirs. J’Ouvert is a hilarious and fearless story of two best friends, battling to preserve tradition in a society where women’s bodies are frequently under threat.
Rebekah Murrell (Nine Night, National Theatre, Trafalgar Studios) will make her directorial debut offering a timely reflection on the Black British experience and the sexual politics that are experienced at Carnival and beyond. In a time when this country is constantly under threat, J’Ouvert reminds us to release our inhibitions while asking us what it means to belong.
Using the lens of a relatable friendship between two young women, J’Ouvert highlights just how much the personal can be political. The production, which transforms Theatre503 into the vibrant streets of Carnival, aims to empowers Black British artists to not question the validity or worthiness of their stories but to be inspired to tell them.
Yasmin Joseph comments, Carnival is of immense personal significance to me. Not just because it carves a space that allows me to honour my Caribbean heritage, but because in practice I believe it’s a powerful act of resistance. Throughout my life I’ve always seen women as being at the helm of the tradition, they are both the purveyors and innovators of carnival and are fundamental in keeping it alive. This play is my way of reconciling with how Black women are often mistreated in the spaces that they pioneer.
Rebekah Murrell, adds, Staging this play is going to be a huge theatrical feat as we transform a black box theatre above a pub into the explosive, dizzying world of Notting Hill Carnival. We’re bringing together a team of the most exciting Black woman and non-binary theatre artists working in UK theatre today to create an experience unlike any we have ever seen, evoking the sights, sounds and smells of an event which is so much at the heart of London’s annual calendar and which holds immense social and cultural significance to everyone involved. We hope J’Ouvert will be a landmark production in both what the play says, what it celebrates and how we are making it. I can’t wait for the world to see it!
Performance Dates Wednesday 29th May - Saturday 22nd June 2019
Tuesday – Saturday, 7.30pm
Saturday matinees, 3pm
Location Theatre503, 503 Battersea Park Rd, London SW11 3BW
Box Office Tickets are available from www.theatre503.com or 020 7978 7040 priced from £10 - £18.
How to get there The nearest train station is Clapham Junction. The nearest underground stations are Sloane Square (Circle and District), South Kensington (Piccadilly, Circle and District), and Vauxhall (Victoria).
Running time TBC
Cast
Jade Nicole Lecky
Nisha Annice Boparai
Nadine Yvette Boakye
Writer Yasmin Joseph
Director Rebekah Murrell
Producer Tobi Kyeremateng
Executive Producer Zena Tuitt
Set and Costume Design Sandra Falase
Sound Design Mwen
Movement Director Shelley Maxwell
Lighting Design Simisola Majekodunmi
Stage Manager Lorrell Rawlins
Production Manager Cat Ryal
Yasmin Joseph
Yasmin is one of Theatre503’s resident playwrights, The 503Five, her debut play ‘J'Ouvert’ was selected from over 450 submissions and will premier at the venue in May 2019.
Yasmin’s first introduction to writing was as a member of the Soho Theatre Young Writers Lab, where her play ‘Pinch’ was longlisted for the Alfred Fagon ‘Best New Play of the Year 2015’ Award. Following this, during her tenure at Theatre503 Yasmin has collaborated with a number of venues to produce her work, including the play ‘Sugar’ as part of Kiln Theatre’s ‘Mapping Brent Festival’ as well as short plays; ‘The Place of Shining Light’ at Theatre503 and ‘Do You Pray?’ which transferred from Theatre503 to Southwark Playhouse.
‘Do You Pray?’ was Yasmin’s first collaboration with director Rebekah Murrell and the play has since gone on to be published by Routledge in an anthology titled ‘Short Plays with Great Roles for Women’ which will be released in 2020. More recently, Yasmin was also shortlisted for the Royal Court/Kudos Fellowship 2019.
Rebekah Murrell
Rebekah is a director, performer and facilitator who primarily works with new and devised writing by and about women of colour.
Rebekah was nominated for BBC Audio Drama Award 2018 for ‘Best Debut Performance’ for ‘The Gift’ by Vicky Donohue, and most recently played ‘Anita’ in the Olivier Award-nominated National Theatre production ‘Nine Night’, written by award-winning playwright Natasha Gordon and directed by JMK Award Winner Roy Alexander Weise, which made theatre history as the first play by a Black British female playwright to be staged on a West End stage after its transfer in 2018.
Rebekah has trained as a Director with established organisations such as Company Three, Tangle and Young Vic Theatre, gaining her positions as an Associate Artist with companies Coney and KIT Theatre.
Rebekah’s Assistant Director credits include; ‘We Too Are Giants’ by Chino Odimba (Kiln Theatre),
‘Black Lives Black Words’ (Bush Theatre), Short Plays credits include; ‘Stopcock’ by Christine Robertson (Southwark Playhouse; Little Pieces of Gold, Omnibus Theatre, Canal Cafe Theatre), ‘Do You Pray?’ by Yasmin Joseph (Theatre503; Southwark Playhouse: Little Pieces of Gold), ‘Red As Rubies’ by Kate Webster (Arcola Theatre), ‘Long Walk From Home’ by Yarrie Bangura (Lyric Hammersmith).
Theatre503
Theatre503 is an award-winning theatre which supports and stages more first-time writers than any other theatre in the country. At the heart of this commitment is a belief that the most important element in a writer’s development is to see their work on a stage, in front of an audience, performed to the highest professional standard. Over 100 new pieces of work are staged at 503 in a year, ranging from 1-2 night short pieces to full length 4 week runs. Careers started at 503 include Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer), Anna Jordan (Yen), Katori Hall (Mountaintop), Jon Brittain (Rotterdam) – the last two productions started at 503 and won Olivier Awards.
