voices in the dark 2020
#takeTwo
VOICES IN THE DARK #TakeTwo
Following a nationwide call our bi-annual new-writing event and sequel to our inaugural new writing programme (Voices In The Dark) was set to once again take place on Greenwich Theatre’s main stage, in the Summer of 2020.
As a result of the current global pandemic the event was transferred online on the 24th & 25th July 2020 via Greenwich Theatre’s social media platforms presenting new and exciting digital opportunities.
This online program exhibited a showcase of 6 bold new pieces of writing presented by a company of professional actors and directors, and selected from an initial 99 submissions by an industry panel comprising of Matilda James and Hanna Lingman from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, James Haddrell Artistic and Executive Director of Greenwich Theatre, renowned writer Afsaneh Gray (BBC), alongside our own Artistic and Outreach Directors.
Connecting over 18 creatives with one another, Voices In The Dark #TakeTwo sought to produce theatre uncovering the current socio-political climate of Britain, whilst touching upon the issues of history and identity. The event also sought to provide a professional platform for emerging playwrights, actors and directors with which to launch their careers and gain experience in the industry.
To watch the full programme of Voices In The Dark #Take Two, see here
PIECES SHOWCASED
VOICES IN THE DARK #TAKE TWO [PART ONE]
THE INIQUITY OF US ALL
Written by Kit McGuire
Directed by James Haddrell
Performed by Kit McGuire
The Iniquity Of Us All presents Jude, a queer twenty-something who has clearly just been beaten to a pulp. But before we get to that, Jude would like to talk to us about this book they've been reading in lesbian book club.
FORTS: A MILLENNIAL TALE
Written by Mariella Hudson
Directed by Mariella Hudson
Performed by:
Hamza Jeetooa as THOMPSON
Natalie Perera as STRONG
Terrorist! Terrorist! Terrorist! Money! Money! Money! Confidence! Confidence! Confidence! Where are they? Where are they?
A satirical comedy on millennial anxieties in a neoliberal world. Alienation has never been so fun.
GREG
Written by Aga Serugo-Lugo
Directed by Liam Fleming
Performed by:
Adam Karim as FRANK
and Esmonde Cole as NICK
With a cinematic zeal Nick and Frank, two young Liverpudlians, recount a night out painting the town red. The banter, the body spray, the booze, bangers and birds, they speak of three musketeers setting out to do battle in a psychedelic haze.
Their kaleidoscopic fable features music that throbs and subsumes our warriors as it seeps into their bones; enticing them into a hedonistic utopia until....reality collides.
But what of the third musketeer? Why would only two convey a classic tale forged for three?
VOICES IN THE DARK #TAKE TWO [PART TWO]
R
Written by Toby Cohen
Directed by James Haddrell
Performed by Nigel Betts
George was isolated long before coronavirus came along. Seventy years old, his existence has become a very lonely one, and what little contact he has with people is through the internet. But amidst the chaos of the pandemic he meets Katie and through their relationship he starts relishing life again, just as it becomes dangerous to do so. In a time when the act of seeing someone you care about suddenly involves serious moral decisions, George has to face up to who he is, and tackle the timeless question
of how far one really loves another person for their sake, or just for one’s own.
BAKED BEANS
Written by Sid Sagar
Directed by Lata Nobes
Performed by Hamza Jeetooa
A British Asian man stumbles through the pressure cooker of millennial life. He’s told that this is a new age, a safe space, a wave of change to ride and embrace. But when the structures of power begin to shift, who’s really in control? Can we invite people in without pushing others out? And what happens when the burden of diversity begins to weigh down on those who need it the most?
KNOTS
Written by Laurence Giltrow-Shaw
Directed by David Weiss
Performed by:
Cassandra Hercules as THREE
Jamie O’Neill as ONE
Serin Ibrahim as TWO
Three people find themselves forever interwoven and bound by a single moment in time.
KNOTS is a short play that explores the lasting damage unspoken things can have over time, if allowed to take root and grow.