Gbolahan Obisesan reveals details of his first season as artistic director
Brixton House Theatre is set to open its doors to the general public on 24 February 2022.
Designed by Foster Wilson Size and located on Coldharbour Lane in south London, the new state-of-the-art venue will also include a café, bar and hire studios, opening from 5 March.
Artistic director Gbolahan Obisesan released the following statement: "Brixton House will be a vital cultural beacon in Brixton and a home of creativity and expression for everyone. We want to attract, support, and inspire new artistic experiences that will develop our community solidarity and passion for social change in society. With this opening season, we focus on our Family Ties, because ours is a home where we acknowledge we are all connected and bound by our love of art and artists, propelled by our spirit of togetherness, whilst giving space to showcasing our creative bond and appreciation of human experiences."
A few highlights of Obisesan's first season include the following productions:
Tonderai Munyevu's one-man show Mugabe, My Dad and Me (24 February to 5 March and 29 March to 1 April) charts the career of one of the most controversial politicians of the 20th century through the personal lens of Munyevu's relationship with his father. The piece is co-produced by English Touring Theatre and York Theatre Royal in association with Alison Holder.
Tangled Feet and Half Moon present Butterflies (24 to 26 February), exploring how the pandemic has affected the anxiety levels and resilience of young children.
The UK premiere of new works by Ntando Cele, Trân Tran and Alan Alpenfelt – three of Switzerland's most promising artists – will be staged under the banner of Swiss Selection Live (8 to 12 March).
Created and performed by Heather Agyepong, The Body Remembers (16 to 26 March) is a solo show that examines how trauma lives in the body with a focus on the Black British female experience. Presented by Fuel, the piece is co-created by Imogen Knight (as movement director) and Gail Babb (as dramaturg).
Hussina Raja's Station (17 to 31 March) is an interactive live-performance installation, offering a retrospective on migrant experiences since the early 1950s and set in a traditional South-Asian living room.
Presented with HighTide in association with the Mercury Theatre Colchester, Kabul Goes Pop: Music Television Afghanistan (11 to 29 May) is written by Waleed Akhtar and is inspired by a true story of two young friends taking on a complex political landscape – all to a soundtrack of early 00s pop music.