OVALHOUSE
WELCOME TO OUR NEW SEASON
SPRING / SUMMER 2016
DISCOVER SOMETHING Unexpected
EXCITING Shocking Memorable Intriguing
MAGICAL! curious
GREAT
SPRING / SUMMER 2016
4 MAY – 23 JULY
Ovalhouse Downstairs Weds 4 – Fri 6 May 7.30pm Preview Weds 4 May, Gala Thurs 5 May, Press night Fri 6 May Ambreen Razia with Black Theatre Live present
THE DIARY OF A HOUNSLOW GIRL by Ambreen Razia
The Diary of a Hounslow Girl is told through the eyes of a 16 year old British Muslim Girl growing up in West London. You’ve heard of an Essex Girl or even a Sloane Ranger but what is a ‘Hounslow Girl’? It’s become a byword for young Muslim women who wear hooped earrings along with their headscarves, tussling with their traditional families while hustling their way in urban West London. From traditional Pakistani weddings to fights on the night bus this is a funny, bold, provocative play highlighting the challenges of being brought up as a young woman in a traditional Muslim family alongside the temptations and influences of growing up in and around London. Originally commissioned by Ovalhouse, these dates mark the opening of the Black Theatre Live UK tour of Ambreen Razia’s feisty, funny and acerbic comic-drama.
ambreenrazia.com | @ambreenrazia
Tickets: Preview £7 | Gala £20 (includes drinks & buffet) Press Night £12 / £7 concessions
Photo: Talula Sheppard
Ovalhouse Downstairs Thurs 26 – Sat 28 May 7.30pm Thurs 26 May: free post-show panel discussion ‘Work Place Politics’ In association with Harlow Playhouse, Nick Field and Ovalhouse present
WORK PLAY Written and performed by Nick Field
How can a cupcake spark a workplace war? The average lifetime of work involves: 2 bad bosses, 3 heavy bust-ups, 94 sick days, 705 minor disagreements and 9,024 hours of overtime.* Why do we willingly become embroiled in minuscule intrigues blown up to medieval court proportions in the workplace, when all we really want to do is get paid? With an inventive soundtrack, political satire and an office party, Work Play draws you into games that mirror, subvert and parody those we’ve all witnessed at work. “Nick Field creates theatre that is unique, unexpected, and absolutely engrossing” What’s Peen Seen
@nickfieldartist | #workplay | nickfield.com
Commissioned by Harlow Playhouse. Seeded by greenhouse, a Farnham Maltings initiative. Developed with support from Ovalhouse, The Garage & Apples and Snakes.
Tickets £13 | £8 concessions *Source: The Daily Telegraph “Britons in the Workplace’
Photo: Field & McGlynn
Ovalhouse Downstairs Thurs 21 – Sat 23 July 7.30pm Ovalhouse and Aine Flanagan Productions present
HOW TO WIN AGAINST HISTORY by Seiriol Davies | Directed by Alex Swift Performed by Seiriol Davies, Matthew Black and Tom Penn
How to Win Against History is a fierce and fabulous costume drama musical about Henry Cyril Paget, the 5th Marquis of Anglesey. Born in 1875, poised to inherit the Empire, he instead burned brightly, briefly and transvestitely, blowing his family’s godlike wealth on sparkling, diamond-studded plays—with him in them—to which nobody came. When he died, his family burnt every record of his life they could find, and carried on as though he’d never been. A hilarious, ripped-up new extravaganza about being too weird for the world, but desperately not wanting it to forget you. "utterly hilarious, ridiculous and relentlessly energetic..." Broadway Baby ####
soundcloud.com/seiriol | @serioldavies | @HowToWinAgainst
Developed with the support of Ovalhouse and Arts Council England.
Tickets £13 | £8 concessions
Photo: Rah Petherbridge
FiRST BiTES is Ovalhouse’s programme of exciting new works-indevelopment; a chance to see raw new ideas that might develop into a bigger piece, or a new way to explore an idea. This season we are presenting five new pieces:
4WOMEN by Loud Talkin’ A new play inspired by Nina Simone’s song of the same name.
SISTER by Born Mad Join Born Mad in their rehearsal room to get a unique insight into their new production.
STRAWBERRY VALE by 9 Grams of Moon An interactive world of projected digital magic, with frame by frame hand-drawn animation and original music.
ECHO_NARCISSUS by Emma Stirling and Nick Finegan The myth of Echo and Narcissus retold through internet obsessions, online personas, and late night longing.
WAKING BEAUTY by Minerva Collective A new look through an LGBT lens at traditional fairy stories.
Tickets £5 in advance | £8 on the door
Ovalhouse Downstairs Thurs 12 May 2pm, includes post-show Q & A Developed with support from Ovalhouse, Loud Talkin’ present
4WOMEN Concept by Karena Johnson | Script by Juliet Gilkes Romero Poems by Oneness Sankara A new play inspired by Nina Simone’s song Four Women. The story of four generations of British women from one family who come together to save their 21st Century descendant. This time-travelling quilt of a play introduces us to Sara, Peaches, Saffronia, Sweet Thing and Ebony twisting from the 1833 abolition act, to the 1962 immigration act, through the 1981 riots hurtling to the financial crash of 2008. Loudtalkin.com | @Loud_Talkin
Photo: James Berry Photography
Ovalhouse Upstairs Dance Studio Friday 27 May 4pm Ovalhouse and Born Mad present
SISTER by Alex Groves and Rebecca Hanbury Join Born Mad in their rehearsal room to get a unique insight into the musical workings of their new production Sister. Mira was cut off from her sisters for 15 years. Jessica and Annabel used to tell each other everything. And Tara? Well, she’s a bit of a pyromaniac... Sister is an outpouring of memories - some tender, some comic, and others painfully raw. Foley art and stark verbatim text meet Alex Groves’expansive electronic music to create this bold new production which gets right to the heart of family life. bornmad.co.uk | @WeareallBornMad Sister is supported by Spitalfields Music & Ovalhouse. Research & Development supported by Bristol Ferment, Blue Elephant, The Broadway Barking, LSO Soundhub, Tête à Tête & Wells Way Pop-Up.
Photo: Pete Tweedie Photography
Ovalhouse Upstairs Thurs 30 June – Sat 2 July 7.45pm Ovalhouse and 9 Grams of Moon present
STRAWBERRY VALE Gin is at odds with her urge to grow up, convinced that being ‘Adult’ means abandoning her love of drawing, video games and all that encourages childish fantasies. Game controller in hand and pencil in the other, Gin decides to indulge in one last day of imagination... and then she’ll grow up. The lines of fantasy and reality blur in a new multimedia production comprising of both animation and live performance. cargocollective.com/9gramsofmoon | @9gramsofmoon Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Photo: Christopher Gonzalez-Crane
Ovalhouse Upstairs Weds 6 & Thurs 7 July 7.45pm Ovalhouse and Recursion Co present
ECHO_NARCISSUS by Emma Stirling and Nick Finegan Through the blue light you see your own face reflected back at you. And there’s someone else behind the screen. This is an internet dream myth of celebrity interviews, Instagram obsessions and tab after tab after tab—a place where desire and obsession and longing and loneliness are all just a click click away. recursiontheatrecompany.wordpress.com @RecursionCo | @NickFinegan Developed at and supported by The Yard Theatre.
Ovalhouse Upstairs Weds 13 – Sat 16 July 7.30pm Ovalhouse and Minerva Collective present
WAKING BEAUTY by Leigh Douglas Does the Princess always have to fall in love with the Prince? Stories are powerful; we carry the fairytale stereotypes we learn as children throughout our lives, often without question. What if we told different, more inclusive, stories: would they have the power to change the very foundations of society? Waking Beauty is a coming-of-age fairytale for the twenty-first century which imagines what would happen if we reclaim our princesses. minervatheatre.com | @minervatheatre
VISIT OUR
THEATRE
BAR
Open from 6pm every theatre evening, we offer a variety of drinks, including a hand-picked selection of Borough Wines, craft beers and ales from local Brixton Brewery and a range of coffees from Drury Tea & Coffee.
INTRODUCING
BOKIT’LA! What is a bokit?! The bokit is a culinary tradition from a French Caribbean island called Guadeloupe which has the reputation to fully satisfy any appetite and is nicknamed the “creole burger”. You can choose from SaltFish, Chicken or Aubergine, topped with some sauce Creole and lettuce, and you can choose to add some avocado and chilli sauce to the heat level that you prefer. Hand-cooked to order from £2.50 – available theatre nights Weds-Fri from 7pm. @Bokitlaltd | FB: Bokit La bokitla.com
We have a new arrival in our cafe bar – delicious homemade Bokits from the pop-up Bokit’La team.
LOVE
YOUR LOCAL MARKET
Love your Local Market is a celebration of our market culture, happening over a fortnight in May each year. This year Ovalhouse is supporting Brixton Market and Brixton Village with a special Come Rhyme with Me Event. Brixton Village Sat 21 May 1pm Enjoy an afternoon of rhyming and food with Dean Atta and Deanna Rodger alongside a menu of performers chosen for their wit, wisdom and ability to move you. For all lingual lovers, slammers, singers and rappers, this spoken word explosion is presented as a dining experience – with a set menu of performers. We kick o with an open mic session and continue with a relaxed Caribbean feel and a delicious meal. To book your free tickets go to ovalhouse.com
#Connect Come along to these speed networking evenings and get connected! Ovalhouse Downstairs Weds 25 May 7.30pm Ovalhouse, Artistic Directors of the Future and Black Women’s Network host
#CreativesConnect This BAME-focused professional matching event with a difference is designed to encourage connections and collaborations between a wide range of artists from different art forms, in a relaxed and fun evening with lots of food and play time! £6 | £3 concessions, including ADF and BWN members Tickets include refreshments Ovalhouse Downstairs Weds 16 June 6–7pm Ovalhouse Young Associates and the BRIT School host
Decades Networking Event In the second of our #Connect series, meet the cast and creative team of the BRIT School’s new production Decades and see the show, in an evening co-hosted by the BRIT School and Ovalhouse Young Associates, bringing early career artists, theatre makers and writers together. FREE with a ticket to Decades To register for our ongoing series of #Connect events email cat.lee@ovalhouse.com
COMING SOON
BRIxTON CITY COMMISSIONS 2016 Part commissioning process, part brand new festival celebrating all things Brixton – look out for more details online.
OPEN CALL: “A hub of people, cultures and habits; Brixton is synonymous with many of the great cities of the world for its iconic identity. Revolutionary, hard-working, creative and switched-on, Brixton’s communities have gone through many changes while remaining uniquely Brixton. We want to celebrate this.” Stella Kanu, Executive Producer, Ovalhouse
“We believe Brixton should have City Status”. Open to local residents and artists (emerging, established or brand new voices) who have a significant connection to Brixton, we want creative responses to this statement. We are offering a number of commissions between £500 – £2,500 for: j New work ready for performance j Site specific or outdoor/ street pieces that can work in locations within Brixton j Engages with audiences or participants in exciting ways j Work that explores themes that clearly relate to Brixton’s political, social, cultural and communal identity For full criteria and complete brief: commissions@ovalhouse.com
Photo: Alex James
Taking up residence in several locations across Brixton, Brixton City is our brand new 2 year programme of artist-led commissions, community celebrations and creative interpretations of Brixton. Kickstarting an exciting ongoing programme of activities, Brixton City 2016 could see spoken word, installations, aerial arts, circus acts, musicians, dancers and theatre makers spread out among gyms, pop up restaurants, Brixton Village, gardens, bus shelters, Windrush Square, shop doorways, market stalls, Brockwell Lido, parks, open spaces or recognised landmarks across Brixton.
OVALHOUSE CREATIVE YOUTH The Cultural Education Challenge is all about making sure that young people don’t miss out on the Arts, both as performers and makers, or by enjoying the amazing cultural scope of our Capital. Ovalhouse is one of the seven London organisations running this fantastic project, so if you’re aged 11–18 you can sign up for our CEC workshops run by top professional artists, or come on trips to some of London’s favourite theatres, galleries and museums - all for free! Priority given to residents of L&Q, Metropolitan and Hyde Housing. To find out more check out ovalhouse.com/under26 or email us to book a place: naomi.shoba@ovalhouse.com
Demonstrate! is our unique project for families with youngsters with disabilities, including autism, which we run in partnership with Corali Dance Company. Over the 5 years it’s been running, we’ve explored dance, circus skills, music, graffiti, puppetry, installation art - and we’re still exploring! Our next project starts in summer 2016. If you’re interested in joining please get in touch: call Emily on 020 7820 7282 or email emily.doherty@ovalhouse.com
Our We are London drama and arts group for young migrants aged 14-22yrs meets every Saturday. It’s a good place to make new friends and have fun, and share your hidden talents. You don’t need good spoken English or previous experience in the arts: just come and join in! Contact Stella for more info: stella.barnes@ovalhouse.com or 020 7820 7279 ovalhouse.com/under26 | @OvalhouseCY
FEATURED HIRE The BRIT School with Ovalhouse Creative Youth Ovalhouse Downstairs 7 – 25 June, Tues – Sat 7.30pm
DECADES by Leo Butler An anarchic, kaleidoscopic epic that explores the changing hopes and rebellions of British teenagers from 1916 to the present day. Tickets £7.50 | £5 concessions
DEVELOPING NEW WRITING – DECADES Ovalhouse Creative Youth and the BRIT School are offering 2 free workshops in conjunction with Decades: Thurs 16 June 6–7pm: Decades – networking event Meet members of the cast and creative team of Leo Butler’s new play Decades and attend the show at Ovalhouse. Thurs 23 June 4–6.30pm: Decades – a creative response Work with members of the cast and creative team of Decades to create your own response to the themes and issues of the play. Both these workshops are free when booked with a ticket to Decades. Suitable for ages 16+ Decades has been created in collaboration with the Bridge Theatre Company, a group of young actors from the BRIT School of Performing Arts and Technology.
Photo: Richard Davenport
Each year our rehearsal and theatre spaces are hired by organisations whose work complements lots of areas of our work – engaging with young people, communities, artists or even working in art forms beyond theatre. This season we welcome back regular hirers the BRIT School. During their time with us we will be jointly hosting two workshop opportunities for young people interested in exploring more about the theatre process. If you are interested in working with us on a collaborative hire, please contact curatedhires@ovalhouse.com
SUPPORT OVALHOUSE
Help us build our NEW VENUE IN BRIxTON
Ovalhouse is moving to a brand new purpose-built venue in 2019, and we need YOU to help us on our road to Brixton! Follow our journey @Ovalhouse #RoadToBrixton
Meet Our Patrons We are proud and delighted to welcome our new patrons Sanjeev Bhaskar, Pierce Brosnan and Paulette Randall. “All of our Patrons have a special story to tell about their time at Ovalhouse. We are proud to have the support of so many immensely talented and creative people as we work together to build a fantastic new building to support the work of the talented people to come.� Deborah Bestwick MBE, Director of Ovalhouse
Buy-A-Brick for Brixton Visit ovalhouse.com/support/buy-a-brick
For more information about our Capital Campaign contact: Katie Milton, Development Director - Capital Campaign katie.milton@ovalhouse.com | Direct Line: 020 7820 7273
DIARY 4 – 6 May
THE DIARY OF A HOUNSLOW GIRL by Ambreen Razia
12 May
4WOMEN by LoudTalkin’
21 May
LOVEYOUR LOCAL MARKET with Come RhymeWith Me
25 May
#CONNECT EVENT #CreativesConnect
27 May
SISTER by Born Mad
26 – 28 May
WORK PLAY by Nick Field
7 – 25 June
DECADES byThe BRIT School
16 June
The BRIT SCHOOL #CONNECT EVENT
23 June
The BRIT SCHOOL CREATIVE RESPONSE
30 June – 2 July
STRAWBERRYVALE by 9 Grams of Moon
6 – 7 July
ECHO_NARCISSUS by Emma Stirling and Nick Finegan
13 – 16 July
WAKING BEAUTY by Minerva Collective
21 – 23 July
HOWTOWIN AGAINST HISTORY by Seiriol Davies
25% OFF
YOUR ORDER WHEN YOU BOOK FOR 2 (OR MORE) SHOWS All tickets must be booked in one transaction; discount applied at checkout. Valid on all tickets (except Decades). Only one offer per booking, cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.
FOR BOOKINGS: OVALHOUSE.COM 020 7582 7680
Ovalhouse 52-54 Kennington Oval, London SE11 5SW Box office 020 7582 7680 Book online ovalhouse.com TICKETS: £12 | £7 or £13 | £8 FiRST BiTES: £5 in advance | £8 on the door SEASON OFFER: book for 2 or more shows in our SPRING / SUMMER 2016 season and receive 25% off your booking (except Decades). Discount applied at checkout. Getting Here Nearest tube OVAL (Northern Line) or VAUXHALL (Victoria Line & BR) Buses 3, 36, 133, 155, 159, 185, 436 Car parking for disabled visitors only, on-street parking after 6.30pm Santander Cycles dock directly opposite, on Kennington Oval. We are not in the congestion zone. Café Our cafe is open from 7pm Weds-Fri for home-cooked bokits from the Bokit’La pop-up restaurant. Theatre Bar Our bar is open every night throughout our SPRING / SUMMER season from 6pm for a full bar service and hot and cold drinks. Access Ovalhouse Downstairs, Café, Bar and Garden @ovalhouse
ovalhouse
Ovalhouse (Christ Church [Oxford] United Clubs) is a registered charity no. 2888931