When: 1st – 5th November 2016, 9pm
Where: Camden People’s Theatre, 58-60 Hampstead Road, London NW1 2PY
£: Tickets cost £12 and £10 for concessions
What is it?
This November, HighRise and Camden People’s Theatre present Merryville, a show that looks at the London housing crisis and the challenges it presents to young people.
It’s 2020. Since the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, dodgy politics, austerity and civil unrest have left the streets of London in turmoil. A new coalition between the Conservatives and UKIP has driven house prices to an all-time high. Two local rappers (Dr Green Fingers & Dustin Roads) find themselves in the last ‘affordable’ housing block in London. They have to work two jobs to make ends meet, options are thin, and as they flirt with the idea of leaving their home, sparking revolution or a life of crime, they can’t help but dissect the politics that have surrounded them in the past ten years.
Merryville is a grime concept concert that brings the truth from ground level. Expect MP rap battles, tactics for revolution and a dealer’s guide to inflation. Merryville is an honest account of what it means to live as a born and bred Londoner, when the housing crisis, inflation and dirty politics continue to force us out of our city.
HighRise is a theatre collective of actors, directors, choreographers, writers, musicians, rappers, and anything else they can show off with. They seek to spark conversation, and build bridges between forgotten communities, by representing the rhythm of the streets. With family roots spreading five continents, the company has an eclectic and dynamic approach to telling stories. HighRise’s core aim is to use inner-city memories, culture and music to give the unheard a voice through theatre.
Merryville is the recipient of a CPT BAME Seed Commission, and Cardboard Citizens’ £2000 Home Truths Young Company Bursary, made possible by the generous support of Jerwood Charitable Foundation. It is also supported by We Are Spotlight.
More info: www.cptheatre.co.uk