Photos: First Look At Sounds Like Chaos' DIRT At The Albany

Opened on Friday 22 October at The Albany and running to Saturday 30 October only, DIRT is the fresh, grimy, youthful energy of London, exploring the climate emergency from the point of view of Lewisham's diverse communities, a choir of voices jostling to tell their story, fusing tales from the past with plans and hopes for the future.

Check out photos below!

Devised collaboratively by a professional company of 36 young people aged 12-25, with support from with digital specialists and climate change activists, DIRT is a multi-faceted creative journey engaging often excluded communities in the climate emergency debate.

This mammoth project comprises original show DIRT and a series of accompanying films made in collaboration with VIDEOfeet and composer Keir Vine. The project has also commissioned 7 young artists to respond to the source material and themes, resulting in a rich collection of voices and artworks including zines, podcasts, film, sound art and community gatherings to share the journeys, history and connections that have converged to underscore the diversity of cultures living in this city while exploring the challenges facing the diaspora communities of Lewisham today. The artworks will be available from www.soundslikechaos.com/dirt-pages.

Combining their own climate change research with real stories, told through interviews with local young people and their families and drawing on the traditions of oral storytelling, a multitude of characters come forth to evoke their ancestors' tales of migration from across the globe. DIRT weaves through sibling arguments across Lewisham and Ghana; to love stories on the RMS Mauretania sailing from Jamaica in the 1950's; Irish family land feuds; mothers travelling to the UK alone leaving their children in Latvia, hoping one day to send for them. The show utilizes the powerful perspective of youth, attempting to comprehend their ancestors' decisions and their own future actions in the time of global climate emergency.

DIRT brings together a uniquely diverse creative team from Sounds Like Chaos, a professional theatre company led by 36 young people aged 12-25 from diverse backgrounds living in Deptford, along with digital specialists and climate change activists. Directed by Roisin Feeny and Gemma Rowan, Sounds Like Chaos are unique in the way they work with young people, giving a stage to their personal, political and artistic voices and visions.

DIRT runs at The Albany from Tue 23 to Sat 30 October, 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from here: https://www.thealbany.org.uk/shows/dirt/