Have you checked out South London’s newest theatre festival yet? Peckham Fringe is running until Sunday 5th June at Theatre Peckham. Covering everything from topical issues to a passion for plants, there’s something for all tastes and ages. Here’s what you can see…
What to see at Peckham Fringe
In Jekyll and Hyde fantasy Life’s A Drag, we’re introduced to Maxine who’s an awkward queer teenager desperately trying to suppress the other personality that lives inside of them. While in Breaking News, there’s a bittersweet story of love, climate change and people power. What happens when a couple have different strong-minded views on the world? Both shows are on now.
Next up is the one-human show Playing Latinx. It merges spoken word poetry, stand-up comedy and music, and takes us through the journey of constructing a wholly new identity whilst figuring out a place in the UK theatre scene. And in a tale of African Mythology, Message in the Clay River plays with the eternally relevant themes of love, identity, and destiny.
Next week, there’s the latest instalment of The Voices of Black Folk in Unexpected Places looking at Roman emperor Septimius Severus and Britain’s first Black Queen Philippa of Hainault. This series is dedicated to shining a light on the forgotten rich history of Black voices across UK and Europe. Following this is Oriente Plus/Power Cut. This story is about the things that keep us together, even when the world tears us apart. It’s about poetry, music and culture. And about the haunted bodies and dancing souls of the Caribbean people.
Comedy, skating and spoken word
Later on in May, there’s You Can’t Understand. It’s the cheekiest coming of age story you didn’t know you needed to see. A journey of Barbz, besties and bad gyal business. Meanwhile, Hayfever is a dark comedy which considers how living by different cultural rules can eventually alter feelings and alienate you from a country you thought you were part of.
After this is comedy lecture An Investigation. It includes the basics of B.F. Skinner’s theory of radical behaviourism, and potential new applications of this theory driven by data science. There’ll be transhumanism, novelty t shirts, TV’s ‘The Masked Singer’, supermarkets, determinism, CAPTCHAs, Taylor Swift and the debate over free will (which it will solve once and for all).
Need an event to lift you up? Skate of Mind Live creates a world of music, culture, and good vibes on wheels, as audiences are invited to bring their roller skates and join in a skate jam to Peckham.
Wrapping up May’s entertainment is Away from Home and Before I Go. In Away from Home, the damaged fates of three lost girls intertwine as they wait for the moon to eventually guide them home. While Before I Go is about finding your voice through spoken word, movement and song.
Peckham Fringe shows in June
At the start of June, catch SLUMLORD. It’s a work in development looking at Notting Hill in 1966, when the reign of the slum landlords ended but many were paying a punishing price. And following this is PlayFight. It examines the corrosive way in which racism determines the direction Black lives take. Looking at two best friends, things start to get more complicated. PISS AND BILE meanwhile, sees two women navigate the monotony of working in the service industry and the frustrating customers they encounter. Can their friendship survive in a world that fosters apathy, complacency and cruelty?
On a lighter note, there’s an interactive musical for audiences aged 3 to 11 years (and their grownups). Errol’s Garden is filled with catchy songs, big ideas and a passion for plants. Finally for the fringe, The Great Barbecue seeks to save the African spirit so that future generations may never forget their roots.
Theatre Peckham is an award-winning cultural venue for artistic excellence and social change. At their South London home, they commit to producing new writing and performance, focusing on culturally diverse talent.
Looking for more new arts event to discover? Try our theatre and festival pages!
When: On until 5th June 2022
Where: Theatre Peckham, 221 Havil Street, London SE5 7SB
£: Ticket prices vary from £5 to £15
More info: www.theatrepeckham.co.uk/shows-events