Press

WEST AFRICA EXHIBITION -BRITISH LIBRARY Now on!

The West Africa :Word, Symbol, Song exhibition was on at the British Library,  Oct 16-Feb 16 2016!

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Looking forward to event for primary school teachers re how they can help kids see Africa more positively – Thurs Nov 5th, 4.30-8.00 at the British Library!

http://www.bl.uk/events/teachers-private-view-of-west-africa-word-symbol-and-song-for-newly-qualified-teachers

DAZZLING MIRAGE WINS AT AMAA 2015

Congratulations to Kemi Akindoju for winning Most Promising Newcomer at the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) 2015 for her lead role in Dazzling Mirage!

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Kemi plays sickle cell sufferer Funmi in the film.

The 2015 Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) took place on Saturday, September 26th at Broad Walk Centre in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.

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Thank you!

THE END OF THE BEGINNING!

A wonderful end to our London tour with two packed-out shows at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre in Tottenham. Two excellent, animated post-show discussions with Audrey West and Sharon Massey from Kids’ Company and Juliet Alexander from The Amos Bursary on Fri, and Diane Abbott MP on Saturday.

Thanks you to all our audiences, venue partners, Arts Council England, The Royal Victoria Hall Foundation and Peggy Ramsay Foundation for making the show possible. Next stop: UK tour! Watch this space!

image Audrey, Juliet and Sharon.

Audience feedback

WHAT OUR AUDIENCES ARE SAYING:

“I absolutely loved this play. Brilliant acting, dialogue, characters, I was spellbound for the duration. Well done everyone ??????  ”  Sola Ott (via Facebook)
“A play that understands teenage angst. Not to be missed.”
– @imjussayin2

“Brilliant incisive writing and great performances”
– @NMTAutomatics

“Inspired by Spora Stories”
– @Genevieve_Dunne

“Thank you so much. You opened up debate about what race means for Spora Stories, for London, and beyond. I hope through your play people consider more viewpoints and think about society in a new light.”
– @RosieCappuccino

“We saw your play last Friday. Really enjoyed it. Raises some serious issues but funny as well. The young cast was brilliant! congrats.” – Ifeoma

“I was thinking about it more…in the discussion afterwards all the focus was on Toby and his difficult decision -but I was also interested in Bali -because she was beginning to question her privileged background and to look at other options…….it’s all fascinating stuff!” – Pat

“Really enjoyed the play and will be coming back for second helpings at Bernie Grant – as usual you hit on subjects that so many of us are having conversations about in our kitchens and front rooms – which is what I especially love about your work.” – Deborah

“Saw Ade Solanke’s East End Boys, West Girls with Ellen Thomas. Great script. Reminding us of the pressures that are put on the young not only from parents but also from their peers. Beautifully executed by a young and relatively new cast members. Well done Ade.” – Anni Domingo

“East End Boys, West End Girls is a success because it deals with the challenges our young people face when choosing between schools, friends, dreams and opportunity. I went expecting belly laughs especially after the fab “Pandora’s Box” but instead I was moved and educated by the performances of the talented young cast (19 – 23) about the world they live in, which although similar, has many differences to the world I grew up in. If you are a parent, uncle, aunty or someone interested in raising youth aspirations, this family play (I took my wife and children, as did many others) is the one for you.” – Toyin Agbetu

Fab media coverage on the show

We were thrilled to be invited into the ARISE NEWS London Studios in Piccadilly to chat about the play. Watch the clip here

The British Blacklist (TBB) interviewed Ade about the changes in London the play looks at.

“Pandora’s Box was set in Lagos and is very much the British-African migration and inter-generational story. This one is about teenagers who live in different parts of London. Three of the characters are British-African, but wearing their Londoner hats more in this story. I wanted to look at how young people in London are interacting and inter-relating. It’s more about class differences and economic differences… in different parts of London.” Read more  here

We had another stimulating chat with Reconnect Africa about the play.

“When I was growing up in London, London was our oyster! We’d spend the whole of the summer holidays exploring the city. …today’s kids are often prevented from experiencing that. So…basically the play is about worlds colliding.” Read the interview  here

We also popped into the BBC Radio London to chat about the show to Dotun Adebayo and shared an extract from the play with his listeners. It was fun!

Check it out BBC London Dotun Adebayo show

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Press Night!

Thank you to all the friends and supporters who came down on press night. We were joined by a real East End MP and a fictional EastEnder from the TV show! Lovely night and more dollops of praise for our brilliant cast.