We don’t believe journeys ever come to an end, they just change directions or split paths sometimes. Our Co-Founder Tessa’s time has come now to split paths with the wonderful endeavour of The Bread & Roses Theatre for good. Having left the UK exactly 4 years ago and stepped down as the theatre’s Artistic Director, Tessa stayed on as an Executive Director and there was much to manage for the theatre to make it through Covid-closures and what not. Our journey with trying out the space and how we could work together as people (or not) started 10 years ago in 2012, the theatre then officially opened in 2014.

‘Co-Founding this theatre, serving as its Co-Director, growing with this project for about a decade, has been a life-changing and life-shaping journey.’

Now it’s time to cherish the journey travelled together and the many journeys ahead, as Tessa bids farewell fully and also steps down as Executive Director and company owner. The theatre remains in the most incredible and capable hands, of course, of Co-Founder & Managing Director Rebecca Pryle, Artistic Director since 2018 Velenzia Spearpoint and the whole ever-growing theatre team and community.

And, if you fancy saying “hi” and/or “bye”, come join us on Tuesday 29th March at 5:30pm for a final farewell get-together, as it’ll also be Tessa’s first actual visit since 2019! ​(Current in-house production Who You Are and What You Do is also on at 7:30pm that day, if you fancy catching that too, whilst you’re there.)

When a fashionable movie star is kidnapped by a mysterious stalker, he must learn how to negotiate his way out of imprisonment using all his skills and cunning.

Opening later this month, we spoke with Lesley Ann Albiston the writer and director of Chop Me Up Or Let Me Go about her dark comedy with a twist. 

 What inspired you to create this show? Why this story?
During the first lockdown people used it as an opportunity to be fully creative, some built robots out of household appliances, some searched the night sky for aliens who might offer a way off this pandemic-soaked planet, and I wrote a play about being trapped. Because I was trapped. A bit obvious really in retrospect. Luckily, it’s getting to be performed and appreciated.

Who are the collaborators on this production?
Firstly, I cast Alastair Coughlan, a brand-new shiny actor musician, fresh from training in New York Drama school in the main role of kidnapped famous actor Tom Reynolds, when I only had an early draft, then I sort-of built the rest of play around the Alastair’s incredible skill set. It took us a while to find a female actor who could match his dramatic/comedic performance whilst portraying Astrid Barton, a slightly unhinged stalker turned kidnapper, but much to our delight we found the striking actor dancer Ciara Murphy not long after graduating from ALRA. She inspired me to develop the character of Astrid away from being just another crazy stalker into someone a little more real. Astrid is still bonkers though. Adorable but bonkers. You must be to do what she does in the play…

Ahead of Acquah&Co's run of SANKOFA at The Bread & Roses Theatre this February, Nicole Acquah talks us through her top tips for creating autobiographical theatre...

Sankofa is a semi-autobiographical piece of theatre, recently shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting. It is about my heritage as a Ghanaian-British woman, and how I found out in only the last few years that I come from a long line of artists. The show explores how this discovery impacted the way I see myself and explores my experiences as a West African woman making work, falling in love, uncovering my personal history…all that fun stuff. I am performing onstage alongside musicians Vanessa Garber and Doyin Ade. It is directed by Carol Leeming MBE and produced by Tia Ray, with voice and dialect by Eleanor Manners and movement direction by Kwame Asafo-Adjei. In addition to writing, I perform in the piece. 
Here are some of the things that this process has helped me reflect upon and hopefully some tips to take away for your own shows:  

What inspired you to create this show? Why this story?
​I had felt stuck in the creative doldrums for quite a while when the pandemic began. It had been a few years since I had last made a play, and while I knew in my heart of hearts it was what I wanted to do, life had kinda got in the way. Being stuck at home in lockdown gave me time to re-evaluate that I had evaded playwriting for fear of failing, but wasn’t doing particularly well at the career I’d chosen instead. So I quit my cushy work-from-home job mid-lockdown and decided to write something about artists who create knowing they most likely won’t be successes - and what that does to their motivation. In a lot of ways, it was a means for me to ask myself, ‘am I willing to do this even if it fails?’

Who should see this show & why?
Anyone who’s ever tried to make something despite the odds! The story focuses on a group of artists facing different internal and external gatekeepers - from a trans character wanting to break free of stereotypes, to a Dutch character wondering how long he can stay in the UK. I think anyone can find something of themselves in the characters. 

​Have there been any obstacles in the creation of 'Road to Nowhere'?
​We had a month where we couldn’t rehearse due to cast members almost taking it in turns to test positive with the Omicron variant. It’s definitely pushed up our blood pressure to know we’re inching towards opening night and haven’t been in a room together for the entirety of December. Thankfully, rehearsals are back on track now! 

'What is it like to be stabbed in the back; to constantly experience subtle prejudice; to be capable but feel powerless?'
We sat down with Farine Clarke, writer of London Zoo to find out more about her play which explores the characters surrounding the newspaper industry at the turn of the millennium.
​
What inspired you to write this play?  
Subtext! I’ve always been interested in the difference between what people say and what they really think. We’re sociable animals so brutal honesty can be damaging and hurtful; often it’s kinder not to voice our inner thoughts. But when our ‘harmless’ words mask ingrained prejudice, then that’s more sinister. I was a doctor and then worked in business at a senior level and in both I witnessed situations where the spoken word masked the inner thought. I love using humour to draw attention to the ‘thought conversation’. However tragic it can be, it’s also funny and ironic, and just makes people smile and think, ‘yes’.  This dichotomy applies in so many different situations that it resonates with us all.

You wrote this play many years ago. Why stage it now?   
My biggest concern was that it would be out of date. London Zoo is about the balance of power in the workplace and prejudicial layers, not just sexual or racial but between races and against ‘perceived weakness’. Over ten years later, when Sassy and Velenzia at The Bread and Roses invited me into their Playwrights’ Circle to have a scene read, I was convinced things had moved on. I’ll never forget the first piece of feedback from one of the contributors who said, “There’s good and bad. The good is it’s really funny and the bad is, nothing’s changed.” That really shocked me and getting it staged became a bit of a mission! Sassy put me in touch with Samantha Pears (our director) and here we are! 

You describe the play as a ‘pacey parody of life’; what do audiences have to look forward to?   
If the feedback from the rehearsed reading we held on Zoom in February is anything to go by, I think audiences will enjoy it, find it funny, and also recognise that in life you just can’t make it up. Lots of people have said it ‘chimed’ with them and that’s important. It’s satirical but it does have an edge which can be slightly uncomfortable. It also has a fantastical ending which everyone says they didn’t see coming. I hope the audience leaves  feeling they’ve seen a stimulating as well as entertaining play.

Ahead of "I didn't want this. I just wanted you." at The Bread & Roses Theatre this July, we spoke with Aaron-Lee Eyles to find out more about this fascinating show...

What inspired you to create this show? Why this story? 
The initial inspiration came from a personal desire to create a show about a lottery winner. I didn’t know which lottery winner, or what the story would be, but for some time I’ve wanted to interrogate the issues that arise from sudden financial gain and the pressure that it brings. After coming across Billie-Bob’s story I knew that this was the one. It is already a story full of drama and tragedy. 
 
You describe the piece as a 'musical tale', what do audiences have to look forward to? 
Many things! Musically this play is going to be a lot of fun; some country/ folk music and a little southern rock, we’re hoping to have some of the music played live too! It’s not just instrumental either, our cast are wonderful singers and Rob Hardie, our musical director, has some beautiful and chilling harmonies at the ready.  
 
Have there been any obstacles in the creation of 'I didn't want this. I just wanted you'? 
As a self funded company we pay our actors and creative’s through profit share – which is wonderful but has meant scheduling rehearsal around other work/ commitments- it’s been a challenge but one we are more than ready for. Another obstacle has been working out what to and not to include in the play, Billie-Bob’s story is already so full and dramatic that we couldn’t possibly stage it all!  

The Bread and Roses Theatre proudly presents 
I and the Village 
Written by Darren Donohue | Directed by Rebecca Pryle & Velenzia Spearpoint 
Top three winner of The Bread & Roses Playwriting Award 2019/2020 
The Bread and Roses Theatre are delighted to have been awarded a grant from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. This funding has enabled the award-winning pub theatre to recover, reopen and bring an exciting new production to life.

The Bread and Roses Theatre will be reopening on Tuesday 25 May 2021, starting with an in-house produced play, one of three winners of Bread & Roses Playwriting Award (2019) , I and the Village by Darren Donohue. The play will be co-directed by the theatre’s Artistic Director and Managing Director, Velenzia Spearpoint and Rebecca Pryle. This is also made possible thanks to Lambeth Economic Resilience Fund, The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Unity Theatre Trust and every single individual who donated to the online appeal.

Artistic Director, Velenzia Spearpoint, said “Myself and the entire team were moved to tears by this play, it opens us up to a hidden part of the world and sheds light on the urgency of the issues behind the Direct Provision Centre. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who donated and supported our theatre during these trying times, however big or small and every act of spreading the word has made this possible, we can’t wait to share this important story with you!” 
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We welcome them both to the team and are very excited to have them on board to work on the theatre's survival and growth, as for the time being the future remains uncertain.

We are incredibly grateful for the funding, donations and support we have received throughout this troubling time, but continue being reliant on further help whilst on lockdown or pyhsical-distancing-restrictions. If you can support us in keeping fringe theatre alive and exciting, we are grateful for any donations.