I Am Your Neighbour festival brochure

TruTh abouT YouTh aT ovalhouse presenTs

I aM yoUr nEighBoUr 21-26 juLy 2014

JoIn US. joiN In. Meet youR neIghbOurs.

JoiN us. joIn iN. meEt Your neiGhboUrs. Truth about Youth at ovalhouse brings you a festival of dance, drama and spoken word for all, created and performed across brixton by young people aged 13 to 25 celebrating the place, community and its people. explore the neighbourhood through our week of exciting events, stumble upon our pop up photobooth and walk away with a print of you and your mates, peek beyond the curtains and sit in your neighbours living room to see our Plays in Houses. Find out those closely guarded secrets you’ve always been curious about or stroll through Windrush square and shake your shimmy to a dance or two.

It’s not just sugar and milk we’ll be exchanging across the doorstep; we want to share our creativity and skills with you, from free workshops in spoken word and street dance to snapping pictures. lets talk over the fences, chat over a cuppa and celebrate busy, brilliant, bustling brixton.

We look forward to meeting you!

I am so proud of the work done by young people at Ovalhouse; creating brilliant theatre from the stories they find in our communities.

They are the artists of tomorrow and the neighbours of the future, and as such I am delighted to introduce them to Ovalhouse’s new neighbourhood. We look forward to welcoming you all into our new theatre on Somerleyton Rd in 2017. In the meantime, come and visit us at The Oval!

Deborah bestwick, Director ovalhouse

Our FouR waLls: plaYs iN hoUsEs WedS 23 & thUrs 24 juLy, 7.30pm Sat 26 juLy, 2.30pm You’re about to get a once in a lifetime opportunity to see what reallY goes on behind closed doors! open the gate, ring the bell and wipe your feet on the mat as you are welcomed inside real homes to explore secret stories. peer through Jessica’s curtains and check out abouka’s flock wallpaper. see what Jade and her mum are arguing about and what secrets hodan is keeping from his sister...

These five short plays, written and performed by Truth about Youth writers and actors, explore young people’s lives in their brixton neighbourhood.

Baddiya by Fatuma Khaireh Beehive by Katherine Withington 2+2=1 by sofia stephanou Her Sex Was on Fire by reuben Massiah It’s Been Time by seraphina beh

EvenTs aT brIxtoN east NeiGhboUrhoOd wAtCh upsTairS frI 25 juLy, 7-8.30pm What happened? Did you see it? no, but I heard about it. I mean everyone’s talking about it‌ something unusual has happened and the neighbours are talking about it....

This play will be a unique evening of eavesdropping and insight into a community, written and performed by Truth about Youth writers and actors.

LivE niGht TruTh aBout YouTh iN coLlabOratIon With JamEs MasSiah and the A aNd tHe E colLectIve dowNstaIrs fri 25 juLy, 8.30-11pm age 16+ Friday night can only mean one thing... house party! but this is a party with a twist, this is a Truth about Youth live night in collaboration with James Massiah and The a and The e Collective! a fabulous evening of spoken word, music, and debate, with special guest artists.

TheAtre & daNce In wIndrUsh squaRe EleCtriFyinG brIxtoN: A YouTh dRama PerFormAnCe Mon 21 juLy, 6pm our 13-18yrs Drama Company will use exciting physical theatre to tell stories of brixton neighbourhood and community.

danCing to DestIny: a yOuth DanCe pErfoRmanCe WedS 23 juLy, 6pm The 13-18yrs Dance Company will be using original choreography and street dance beats celebrating the rhythm and energy of brixton, all performed in local landmark Windrush square!

pop up PhotO boOth wedS 23 juLy Keep your peepers out for our pop up photo booth during the day!

Drop in, share your stories of brixton life and have your picture taken by professional photographer adrian Wood and his team of young photographers. once the booth has popped up, we'll announce it on Twitter and you can dash over to snugg Cafe in brixton village for a snap with your mates and get a copy as a memento.

Follow us @Taylondon1

FreE woRkshOps

PhotOgraPHY WorkShop Mon 21 juLy, 1–3pm at photofusion, 17a electric lane With professional photographer adrian Wood Interested in photography? Want to capture brixton through the lens? using professional equipment and your creativity come and explore your neighbourhood with professional photographer adrian Wood.

For 13-18yrs. no experience necessary.

Come rhyMe wITH me Mon 21 juLy, 6.30–9pm at six brixton, 6 somerleyton road renowned spoken Word artist Dean atta is hosting a one off creative writing workshop where you can craft your own piece of spoken word and choose to perform it at our live night on Friday 25 July in brixton east!

For 17-25yrs. no experience necessary.

StreEt dAnce worKshoP WedS 23 juLy, 2pm-4pm at six brixton, 6 somerleyton road If you love street dance this is for you! Try out street styles and original routines to house, dance and hip hop beats with professional choreographer rhona noel. (nb wear comfortable clothing and footwear e.g. trainers) For13-18yrs. no experience necessary.

StreEt dAnce worKshoP leAdInG to perFormAnce Sat 26 juLy, 11.45am-2.40pm at six brixton, 6 somerleyton road (Includes performance at Windrush square starting at 2pm) Come and create an original street dance with a professional choreographer and then you and your group will perform live in Windrush square! (nb wear comfortable clothing and footwear e.g. trainers) For 13-18yrs. no experience necessary.

I aM yoUr nEighBour finAle! Sat 26 juLy, From 2pm There’s no better day to relax and shake your thing than a saturday so come and join your neighbours for a street party! after a week of meeting your neighbours, sharing your stories and joining in the activities, come and celebrate the end of I Am Your Neighbour in Windrush square.

There’ll be brixton residents flashing their moves, exciting physical theatre telling stories of brixton and its community, and a good old knees up to some fantastic beats.

2pm Electrifying Brixton: a Youth Drama performance Come and see our company of young performers using exciting physical theatre to tell stories of brixton and its community, all performed in local landmark Windrush square.

2.20pm Flash Mob Dance a brand new dance created that day in brixton for all the family to enjoy!

2.40pm Dancing to Destiny: a Youth Dance performance using original choreography and street dance beats celebrating the rhythm and energy of brixton, our dance company will be performing in local landmark Windrush square.

HOW To bOok events in Windrush square are Free – just turn up.

Workshops are Free but you must book a place in advance. please email lisa.macfarlane@ovalhouse.com or call 020 7820 7278.

TickETS £5 / £3 in advance pay What You Can on the door. We want our events to be available for all whether you’re feeling flush or feeling the pinch so there will be some tickets available on a pay What You Can basis on the door where you get to name your price for a ticket!

Tickets for Neighbourhood Watch entitle you to Free admission for our live night.

Tickets to Plays in Houses include a Free drink.

Box OffIce 020 7582 7680 book online: ovalhouse.com or call in at ovalhouse box office, Mon-sat10-6pm ovalhouse, 52-54 Kennington oval, se11 5sW There will also be a pop up box office for I am Your neighbour festival events in the snugg Cafe, brixton village on sunday 6 July (plus some surprise performance!)

Ovalhouse on the move!

In 2017 ovalhouse will be moving to its new home in brixton.

I Am Your Neighbour is the first creative introduction. presented in brixton to our soon-to-be-neighbours by the young people in the Truth about Youth project, a nationwide project funded by the Cooperative Foundation, now in its fourth year. Truth about Youth runs creative projects for 13-25 year olds promoting the positive contribution young people make to our communities.

Truth about Youth offers workshops and training in acting, writing, directing and youth leadership throughout the year. so if you are 1325 and serious about the arts and want to push your talent to the next level then we've got the professionals and the space to do it. please contact Naomi.Shoba@ovalhouse.com

TaYlondon1 | @ovalhouse @TaYlondon1 | #IaYn Truthaboutyouthlondon.wordpress.com I am Your neighbour is part of Takeover arts.

We would like to thank the following contributors Kitty Withington, binki, snugg Cafe, photofusion, brixton east, six brixton, Fish, Wings and ‘Tings, The Co-operative Foundation, lambeth Council.

ovalhouse (Christ Church [oxford] united Clubs) is a registered charity no. 288931

Š Metropolitan Workshop