Camden People's Theatre Presents Theatre In A Time Of Crisis This Autumn

Camden People's Theatre presents four bold, urgent works which pinpoint crises desperately needing addressed. The programme features two world-firsts: the world premiere of British-Romanian activist collective BEZNĂ Theatre's striking montage of dissent and solidarity with wipe these tears, and the very first use of an energy-generating dance floor in theatre from Pigfoot Theatre's CPT-commissioned Hot In Here.

More distinctive voices follow with Block'd Off, which shares the realities of the cycle of deprivation faced by so many people in the UK and explores what it is to be working-class in London today. On The Line from Odd Eyes Theatre has been developed from the ideas of two young Camden locals and examines the challenges and anxieties facing young people in 2022, including friendship, cultural identity, social mobility and the current political environment.

Artistic Director of CPT, Brian Logan, says: "These are shows that, as part of a wider CPT season, state loudly and proudly what Camden People's Theatre is all about - and where the world is at in 2022. With intelligence, compassion and theatrical flair, they take on the most intractable issues facing us today. The legacies of imperialism. How young people are defending an over-heating planet. How to live in a Britain where society's bonds are fraying. This is what the UK's most exciting new artists are talking and making work about, and it's happening on our stages."

Dedicated to making collective, carbon-neutral theatre, Pigfoot Theatre return to Camden People's Theatre with a redeveloped version of Hot In Here, first commissioned as an online performance during the pandemic as part of CPT's Outside The Box programme and co-produced by Gate Theatre. Made in collaboration with young people on the frontlines of the climate crisis, Hot In Here is a celebration of their action across the globe in tackling ecological injustice. Like the collective action needed to tackle the climate emergency, energy-harvesting dance-floor technology (a first in live theatre) converts the performers' energy into electricity.

"Having been a recipient of CPT's Outside the Box commission in 2020, we're thrilled to finally bring Hot In Here (an energy-generating dance party) to life. The piece has been made through conversations with climate activists from over 20 countries, and explores the UK's place in the global climate emergency. Using an energy-harvesting dancefloor, the first time used in live theatre, Hot In Here is an urgent call to arms, and a celebration of community and action taken against climate injustice", says Hetty Hodgson, Co-Artistic Director of Pigfoot Theatre and Director of Hot in Here.

BEZNĂ Theatre is known for its political activism and drive to deliver blistering, meaningful theatre which has previously detailed war crimes, dehumanisation of people in the UK, climate emergency and sexual consent and abuse. wipe these tears furthers BEZNĂ's reputation as a centre for hard-hitting, activist-empowered and meticulously researched theatre by presenting a theatrical montage which explores imperial methods of crushing dissent and celebrates solidarity. Themes touched upon include radicalisation, torture, experiences of ex-service people in war zones and anti-Islamophobia.

Sînziana Cojocărescu, Co-Artistic Director of BEZNĂ Theatre and writer of wipe these tears says: "wipe these tears is a play about love, sacrifice and strength in the world of interrogation, war & the arms trade. wipe these tears continues our exploration of the imperialist past, beginning with previous BEZNĂ Theatre productions ILLEGALLISED and the People's Tribunal on Crimes of Aggression, in order to contextualise the divisions and wars of the present".

Block'd Off, presented by El Gordo Theatre Co., Pleasance Theatre and Wooden Arrow Productions, explores the lives of multiple tenants in a tower block each dealing with the realities of what it means to be working-class in London. Based on real-life stories, Block'd Off confronts the causes and challenges from those facing a cycle of deprivation. This one-woman play is fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe, where it was supported by the Pleasance's Generate Fund, enabling UK-based Black, Asian and Global Majority Artists to bring their work to Edinburgh.

"I had my first professional interaction with theatre at CPT as an actor, so it's very fulfilling to be bringing my own work to that same stage for my professional debut as a writer and director. Block'd Off belongs at CPT; based on and set in Camden, there is no better home for the play to thrive in", says Kieton Saunders-Browne, Writer and Director of Block'd Off.

The fourth work in this collection comes from Odd Eyes Theatre. From the group's Creative Debate programme, which uses theatre and film to spark conversations in schools and the local community, On The Line was developed from an original idea shared by two Camden teenagers (Cheyanne Thomson and Emily Johnston, both aged 17 at time of writing the piece). It is a gripping and witty fish-out-of-water play which deep-dives into the experiences of Gen-Z and their response to the current crises we're living through.

Emilia Teglia, Artistic Director of Odd Eyes Theatre, says: "On The Line is a tale of two cities addressing the complexities of social mobility for young people growing up in the UK today. Beyond class, income, gender and race, there are value systems that trap young people in the never-ending cycle of poverty. When the world you know is your single parent family and your life-long friends walled within the micro-cosmos of a housing estate, how realistic is it to act on your aspirations? How do we measure success when the route to social status betrays the values we grew up with?".