WHAT I AM at Greenside at George Street

What I Am is a new play with songs written by Jim Pickles and composed by Eric Angus, directed by Guy Retallack. Olivier Award winner George Maguire stars as poet John Clare, confined to an asylum room where he must perform to prove his sanity, hold onto his identity, and complete his greatest poem. The show blends English folk music with electronic textures and beats, combining lyricism, ribald humour and desperation as Clare's mind unravels and questions about identity, memory and recognition as a poet emerge. Produced by Northern Partners, the piece places Clare in close proximity with a 21st century audience, making his struggles around nature, isolation and the fear of being unseen feel urgent and immediate.