Community Play from Lyric Hammersmith Theatre Celebrates Stories of West London
Heart of Hammersmith, the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre’s first large-scale community play in its 125-year history will take over the main house this August, bringing together a cast of over 40 West Londoners, including 17 young members, aged 18-25, made up of first time actors, a secondary school teacher, drag artist, call centre worker, students, new graduates and community volunteers. Written and created by Nicholai La Barrie (Tina – The Tina Turner Musical Resident Director) with The Lyric Community Company, and directed by Eva Sampson (Decades) with Alex Hurst (Lyric Resident Assistant Director, Birkbeck Placement), Heart of Hammersmith celebrates West London stories past and present. The production will also feature a community chorus from Young Lyric partner organisations and the Lyric is now inviting applicants to sign up for adult cast roles. Heart of Hammersmith will run from Thursday 12 to Saturday 14 August with socially distanced seating. All tickets are £10 and go on sale today at www.lyric.co.uk
Working together with Nicholai La Barrie, the script has been created with the Lyric Community Company’s 17 young members who started rehearsals online during the pandemic. They are: Gehna Badhwar, Eva Bate, Wes Bozonga, Ömer Cem Çoltu, Tom Claxton, Kitty Cockram, James Douglas-Quarcoopome, Harry Drane, Harri-Rose Hudson, Lex MacQuire, Ella McCallum, Ele McKenzie, Alfie Neill, Priyanka Patel, Danielle Tama, Wilf Walsworth, Aliyah Yanguba.
The Young Lyric partner organisations collaborating on Heart of Hammersmith are Action on Disability, Amici Dance Company New English Ballet Theatre, Turtle Key Arts, Tri-Borough Music Hub and Zoo Nation Academy of Dance
Heart of Hammersmith tells intergenerational stories of the people, places, sights and sounds of Hammersmith past and present. From lives lived to lives lost, lives forced out and lives brought together, Heart of Hammersmith celebrates West London through all of its hardships and triumphs and the vibrant individuals who make it what it is. Inspired by true stories from West London, the play tracks immigrant arrivals, million-pound homes and social housing sitting side by side, the rise of gentrification and the shadows left by the Grenfell tragedy, the changing of attitudes, facing of tragedies and the rallying of a resilient community. It is set on Dieppe Street, a street from West London’s past that today unites us.
Nicholai La Barrie, Creator/Writer, said: “Working with this group of 17 young performers has been a revelation, their stories and the stories of their communities have broken my heart and built it back up again. We didn’t know what we were going to make when we started off, so we just talked and what started to emerge was this sense of family, and friends that become family, of lives that crash into each other and become ever changed as a result. The question of what it means to live and grow up with people, the question of how my endz informs the rest of my life, the question of who is my family. This is where we ended up with a deeply personal play about the beautiful lives of our neighbours and friends that hold us, and define us and teach us how to be more human.”
Alfie Neill, company member, said: “I have lived beside the theatre all my life, from a young boy playing on the roof areas of the Lyric causing mischief to becoming directly involved in projects in my teenage years. We are being listened to and Heart of Hammersmith is a truly collaborative experience like never seen before from any theatre on this scale. West London has defined my journey, character and outlook on life, my heart has been crafted on these streets and in my home.”
Priyanka Patel, company member, said: “It makes me excited to know by August 2021 there will be a main stage show, based around community and the love of the area at such an important theatre in London – and I get to be a part of that process. Shepherds Bush has been my home for 25 years and I feel incredibly lucky to share why it’s so special to me. Hopefully these messages will resonate with every West Londoner who walks through the doors.”
As part of the Lyric Community Company, the Lyric is now seeking adults from West London to perform in the production in August. There will be a mix of speaking and non-speaking roles and no previous acting experience is required. Adults aged 25+ who live in West London and are passionate about the community are invited to apply via the Lyric website www.lyric.co.uk by 10am on Monday 24 May. Expenses for all in person engagement will be provided for by the Lyric.
Your Hammersmith Story
Residents and workers across Hammersmith & Fulham are being invited to share their memories of the area in Your Hammersmith Story which will see selected stories featured in a new podcast from the Lyric.
Rob Lehmann, Director of Young Lyric said: “We’ve loved hearing from our community members for Heart of Hammersmith, and now we want to invite residents and workers from Hammersmith & Fulham to share their memories with us as part of Your Hammersmith Story to celebrate the history, people and places of our home borough. What does Hammersmith mean to you? It could be a story from your first visit, a special occasion, celebrating a local hero, your favourite places to visit, anecdotes from your time here, you name it.”
To take part in Your Hammersmith Story, forms are available to download from the Lyric website and in person from the box office and from various local businesses in the area. Selected individuals will be invited to tell their story in a new podcast set to be released this summer. See www.lyric.co.uk for further information.
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre presents Heart of Hammersmith
Written and Created by Nicholai La Barrie and The Lyric Community Company
Directed by Eva Sampson with Alex Hurst
Dates: 12 – 14 August 2021
Performance Schedule: Thursday to Saturday at 7.30pm plus Saturday matinee at 2.30pm
Open Captioned Performance: Saturday 14 August, 2.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Saturday 14 August, 7.30pm
Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Lyric Square, King Street, London W6 0QL
Box office: 020 8741 6850
www.lyric.co.uk
Tickets from £10
Twitter: @LyricHammer
Instagram: /LyricHammersmith
Facebook: /LyricHammersmith
#HeartOfHammersmith
Also upcoming at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Out West
18 June – 24 July 2021
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre reopens this summer with Out West, a triple bill of plays by multi-award-winning UK playwrights Tanika Gupta (critically acclaimed 2019 adaptation of A Doll’s House) , Simon Stephens (Olivier and Tony Award winning writer of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time stage play) and Roy Williams (BAFTA nominated Soon Gone, A Windrush Chronicle, Sucker Punch starring Daniel Kaluuya). Out West explores race, geography, identity, belonging and hope rooted in multicultural England of past and present, from Tanika Gupta’s The Overseas Student – a sharp and witty reimagining of Ghandi’s formative student years in Victorian London; to 2020 with Simon Stephens’ Blue water and cold and fresh which confronts white male privilege in the wake of city lockdown living and Black Lives Matter protests; and present day in Roy Williams’ Go, Girl which follows Donna, a shopping centre security guard and mum to a teenage daughter who discovers her brilliance in the face of adversity in this celebratory story of Black female empowerment and everyday heroism. The plays are co-directed by Rachel O’Riordan, who looks to build upon her celebrated work following a critically acclaimed 2019/20 debut season as Artistic Director of the Lyric, and co-director Diane Page, with design by Soutra Gilmour, lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun and sound and composition by Simon Slater. In addition to the live shows running from 18 June to 24 July with socially distanced seating, there will also be an online streaming available from 12 to 17 July. All tickets available now from www.lyric.co.uk
Aladdin
Christmas 2021
Expect the usual Lyric twist on all of your favourite characters as well as live music, magic lamps, plenty of laughs and a journey to a faraway land as Aladdin arrives at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre this Christmas.
A new adaptation by award-winning comedian, actress and composer Vikki Stone who returns to write her debut pantomime for the Lyric following critically acclaimed appearances as Abanazar in the 2016 production of Aladdin and Fleshcreep in Jack and the Beanstalk in 2017. Vikki is well known for her original comedy songs. Credits include: The Now Show (BBC Radio 4), Essential Classics (BBC Radio 3) and presenting two series of the official BBC Proms podcast. TV appearances include The John Bishop Show (BBC1), Partners in Rhyme (BBC1) and the BAFTA award-winning Ten Pieces.
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