Work has become the defining part of Western identity. It starts as early as childhood, when adults are preoccupied with finding out what the child wants to be when they grow up. It becomes apparent that the chosen profession is not merely an act of service, it is an act of being. If you do not work, you cease to be - you cease to exist.
1001 becomes a point of departure for re-imagining how we work and why, questioning the use of labour as the defining factor of a successful life. Burnout has become ubiquitous and we are in a desperate plea for rest.
Working class led and based on lived experiences of immense working hours in customer service and beyond, the show blurs boundaries between theatre, dance and performance art. The exhaustion you see on stage is vulnerable and sincere.
1001 has been awarded University of Warwick Research Prize, 2021.
Tobi King Bakare and this theatre deserve a shout-out for such a young, diverse audience. There is so much talk about audiences being full of over 60s and why, why can’t theatres get the crowds in to reflect society in general? Well, I’m happy to say that on a rainy Thursday evening, the theatre was completely full.
Caiti Grove on Before I Go in CPT's Spring 2023 season London Theatre Reviews
