How can we do the world differently? A conversation about talking with theatre audiences
I’ve been a fan of the PappyShow since early 2019, watching a euphoric performance of Boys at the Brighton Festival. I’d long heard good things about the company – the joyfulness of their work, their spirit of collectivity – but Boys exceeded all anticipation. The show was a laugh-and-cry delight, exuberant, heartfelt and direct, that felt from the audience like being in friendly company with the performers, all young men of Black and Asian backgrounds. I was there to host a Theatre Club at the invitation of Brighton People’s Theatre , who had group tickets and wanted a supported space in which to chat afterwards: most of what I remember about that conversation is a constant stream of marvel, at the skill of the performers and their openness in thinking about public perceptions and expectations of masculinity, black masculinity in particular, and their actual experiences, feelings, dreams. Fast forward to early 2023: the PappyShow and I are connected again as part of the Moving R