1927's ROOTS Makes London Premiere

Making its London premiere after its UK debut at the Edinburgh International Festival 2019, Roots is a medley of folktales brought to life with 1927's signature fusion of handcrafted animation and storytelling. Tales of tyrannical ogres, magic bird's hearts and very, very fat cats are told with a live score involving Peruvian prayer boxes, donkey's jaws, violins and musical saws. Roots playfully considers the narratives of the past and how they might shape the stories of our future.

What tales to tell in such strange times? Sitting on a shelf in the British library is an unassuming red book: The Aarne index. Inside this tome thousands of folktales are categorised, offering a glimpse into the imaginations of pre industrialised people. 1927's Roots is a medley of some of these rarely told stories, an anthology of ancient folk tales by anonymous authors.

Roots debuted at The Spoleto Festival USA in 2019, and ran at the Edinburgh International Festival, Melbourne International Arts Festival, Carthage Theatre Days Festival Tunisia, Chile, Germany, Brighton, Manchester and Margate. It also received a radio adaptation for the BBC. Suzanne Andrade said, "After 18 months of cancelled touring we're delighted that at last Roots is back on stage and the company is back in London. We've missed good nights out telling tales, sharing stories and meeting audiences. Where better to head to share Roots' ragtag collection of folk jokes and twisted tales than London's wondrous Wilton's Music Hall."

Founded in 2005 by Director, Writer & Performer Suzanne Andrade and Animator & Illustrator Paul Barritt, 1927 is a multi-award-winning Margate and London based Performance Company that specialises in combining performance and live music with animation and film to create magical filmic performance. Working across theatre, and opera 1927 collaborates with partners and makes work of ambition and scale for audiences and participants in the UK & across the globe. 1927's work has been seen by over 1 million people in 48 countries, across 6 continents. Previous works include THEATRE- Roots (Edinburgh International Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Théâtre de la Ville Paris & HOME Manchester), Golem (Young Vic, Théâtre de la Ville Paris & Salzburg Festival); The Animals and Children Took to the Streets (Showroom Chichester, Malthouse Melbourne, Sydney Opera House, Battersea Arts Centre & National Theatre), Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (Battersea Arts Centre); MUSIC & OPERA The Magic Flute (Komische Opera Berlin, Deutshe Oper am Rhein, LA Opera, Minnesota Opera, Polish National Opera, Finnish National Opera, Danish National Opera); The Krazy Kat Project (Ensemble Musikfabrik); Petrushka & L'Enfant et les Sortilèges (Komische Opera Berlin & Deutshe Oper am Rhein). TV & FILM - Golem (The Space, BBC Four) White Morning (Sundance Festival); RADIO - Decameron Nights (BBC Radio 3 & BBC Taster). Awards for 1927 include Critics Circle, Peter Brook Empty Space, Total Theatre, Herald Angel, Fringe First, Arches Brick, Carol Tamber, Off West End, Knights of Illumination, OperaWorld & Helpmann Awards, alongside nominations for The Stage, Evening Standard, Melbourne Green Room, New York Drama Desk & SkyArts Souththbank Show Awards.

Performances run .5 - 30 October 2021.