DREAMSCAPE Premieres in London: A Fusion of Hip-Hop Theatre and Powerful Narratives

Hip-hop theatre pioneer Rickerby Hinds’ multi-award-winning Dreamscape comes to London following an acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe run in 2025 and fresh from its Off-Broadway premiere, presented by 59E59 and SoHo Playhouse in partnership for the first time in their histories.

An electrifying fusion of beatboxing, spoken word, and hip-hop dance, Dreamscape is inspired by the killing of Tyisha Miller, a 19-year-old Black woman shot 12 times by police in California while she lay unconscious in a car. The production reimagines memories of a young life and dreams of a future cut short, set against the violence of her death as described dispassionately in the autopsy report. Inviting its audience to bear witness, to confront, and to transform, Dreamscape offers a powerful, clear-eyed exploration of race, the body, and violence.

Rickerby Hinds: “Dreamscape was a reluctant creation, born out of necessity. I wrestled with whether I could say something meaningful without it feeling like I was capitalizing on such deep trauma. But these tragedies continued to happen so five years later I realised I had to write about that moment but also about the precarious balancing act between Black communities and the law. Hip-hop theatre allows me to do that -through language, movement, and rhythm, it gives voice to stories too often silenced and challenges the systems that marginalise us. Bringing the play to London is particularly moving; it shows that these stories, while rooted in our experience, have a power and relevance that cross borders and spark reflection anywhere.”

Since its world premiere in California in 2007, Dreamscape’s success has been global, touring beyond the US to Europe and Africa and translated into six languages. Accolades include a record six NAACP Los Angeles nominations (winning Best Director, Best Lead Actor and Best Lead Actress), an Edinburgh Festival Fringe Theatre Award, and being recognised among the best Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 shows by publications including The Stage and The Scotsman.

Rickerby Hinds was one of the pioneers of hip-hop theatre in the USA. His 1989 play Daze to Come was the first full-length play to use the founding elements of hip-hop as the primary language of the stage. His subsequent works have inspired generations of young playwrights to speak to the world in the language of hip-hop.