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About
A powerful play with music that examines freedom of expression, the strength of community and the foundations of one of Britain's most celebrated subcultures of rebel music.
‘Yo! Listen. Right now it’s Blaze FM. 101.7. You’re locked into the sounds of SHUT DOWN CREW. I need 20 missed calls if you wanna hear this one again. Press play on that.’
We're taking you back to the mid-2000s.
A rundown council flat in Hackney is the home of Blaze FM, a frantic pirate radio station playing Jungle and Grime to keen listeners. Illegally.
Hughbert and the Shut Down Crew are here to tell you about Blaze FM being the heart and soul of raw new music, as well as it being a hub bringing real news to the community. But with the constant signal cuts by DTI and threats from the authorities, there's more at stake than the station's existence.
Can Blaze FM survive? Can Hughbert keep his secret from those closest to him? How far can your expressions of freedom go before you become a target of the state?
Follow the squad as they try to break the cycle while pioneering new music as a voice to the madness outside.
The Company
Credits
Director - Maggie Norris (she/her)
Writer - James Meteyard (he/him)
Writer and Composer - Jammz (he/him)
Musical Director - Shemzy (he/him)
Producer - Nassy Konan (she/her)
Designer - Tina Torbey (she/her)
Video Designer - Mic Pool (he/him)
Lighting Designer - Alex Forey (she/her)
Costume Designer - Lambdog1066 (he/him)
Production Manager - Sayeedah Supersad
Sound Designer - Jack Baxter (he/him)
Stage Manager - Stacey Nurse (she/her)
Associate Director - Christopher Neels (he/him)
Set Design Associate - Pauline McGrath (she/her)
Jason - Alexander Lobo Moreno (he/him)
Hughbert - Andrew Brown (he/him)
Aisha - Anais Lone (she/her)
Pritstick - Marcus Reiss (he/him)
Alpha - Aliaano El-Ali (he/him)
Mute - Daniel Holden (he/him)
Stephen - Jake Walden (he/him)
Sparkz. - Naedean Pillay (she/her)
A co-production between The Big House and New Diorama Theatre. Co-commissioned by New Diorama Theatre.
About the Company
The Big House is a charity transforming the lives of care leavers and at-risk young people through the power of performance. They are committed to providing a secure environment where members are enabled to lead positive, independent and fulfilling lives. Their artistic work is co-created, exploring collective experience whilst safeguarding individual stories. The Big House collaborates with creative industry professionals who are excited by their highly disciplined work and inspirational membership, to help them create work of the highest standards and lead the way into a more diverse arts sector.
thebighouse.uk.com / @BigHouseTheatre