Philip Arditti and Nina Bowers present 20 minutes of their production Looking for Henry
Philip Arditti is an actor, writer and theatre maker. He has worked extensively on TV and on stage playing lead roles at the National Theatre and in the West End. His first full length play EXTINCT he was shortlisted for the Royal Court’s Playwrights Programme and selected to be part of Global Jewish Voices at the Bush Theatre
Nina Bowers is an actor and theatre maker. She was co-director of LETTERS (Gate). She has performed original solo work at Camden People’s Theatre (Camden Fringe) and Sprint Festival. Nina was nominated by the Globe for the Evening Standard Future theatre Fund Award and has been awarded The Yard Theatre Live Draft Fund to develop a piece on the Climate Emergency
looking for henry (working title)
"Would you die for your country?
To be told who you are, where you come from and how proud you should feel?
But then, to not fit into the story at all? To not see yourself in the narrative?
I’m on stage and I know this isn’t my story.
This was the story of England and Prince Hal.
Now this is the story of me."
Shakespeares’ Henry V has often served as a defining narrative of English national identity leaving little space for the experience/voice of outsiders. Told from a marginalised perspective looking for henry (working title) explores the relationship between individual and state, people’s experience of nation state building events and ownership of cultural narratives.
A journey into the absurd world of nation state narratives. Part autobiographical, part taken from Shakespeares’ Histories, this project seeks to unpick the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.
Isaac Ouro-Gnao presents 20 minutes of his production Return To Us
Isaac Ouro-Gnao is a Togolese-British dance and writing-based multidisciplinary artist, and freelance journalist. He creates empathetic and thought-provoking work rooted in magical realism and Africanfuturism with a focus on themes of childhood, memory, and mental health.
His impact in the hip hop theatre and contemporary dance world has been multifaceted; working as a performer, voice artist, scriptwriter, and marketer for esteemed dance theatre artists and companies.
His writing has appeared in the form of features, reviews, and poetry in publications such as Lolwe, The Stage, RAD's Dance Gazette, BlackInk, Poetry Birmingham Literary Journal, and more.
Isaac is a member of Body Politic’s board of directors, is a mental health advocate through Mind charity’s Young Black Men steering group, and is studying a master's in Creative Arts and Mental Health to better his practice.
Return to us
Kweku is dealing with grief. Well, not exactly. Amidst his loss, new responsibilities, social pressures, and his country's economic instability drive him to make rash decisions that somehow seem preordained.
Return To Us tells a magical realism and africanfuturist story of a young Togolese man trying to find his place in the world.
In this part dance, part theatre coming-of-age story, Kweku embarks on a gruelling journey of self-discovery across continents, time, space, and water.
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