Regent’s Park young people beatbox their experiences of life in the area on stage
Young people from Camden brought their experiences of living around Regent’s Park to life with a series of performances at Camden People’s Theatre.
The performance, titled ‘A Day in the Life’, is part of Camden Alive and involved 33 young people aged 6-16 years. The young people wrote lyrics, raps, beatbox, monologues and choreographed dances to explore their experiences in the area. The group were guided over the six months of production by hip-hop theatre company Beats & Elements and Remix Dance.
Hanna, aged 13 from Ampthill Square Estate, took part in the performance at Camden People’s Theatre and said: “The whole experience has been great, I’ve learned how to beatbox and rap. A few months ago I wouldn’t have had the confidence to perform but working with everyone has helped me to do it."
The work these young people have put into this project is really inspiring. It’s great to see them tell their stories on stage in such a powerful and creative way. The support they received as part of Camden Alive has helped them to not only develop new skills, but has given them to confidence to perform which is fantastic to see.
The group performed a series of sold out shows on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 March. The young people will also present part of their performance at the Camden Alive official showcase event on Saturday 7 March at the British Museum.
Beats & Elements are a London based hip hop theatre company, set up by artists Conrad Murray and Paul Cree, exploring class based issues using the medium of live beatbox, looping, rap, spoken word and drama.
Remix Dance (previously Mix It) was created by Mia Nicastro and Mariam Hassan, who have worked with local children form the Regent's Park Estate for the last 12 years, providing free, weekly street dance sessions.
Camden People’s Theatre has supported emerging artists for 25 years, when it was founded by a collective of artists. Its work is rooted in the communities of Camden and London, with a focus on making non-text-based theatre productions at affordable prices.
For more information head to lovecamden.org/camdenalive
Camden Alive is part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture and is a Cultural Impact Award winner.
London Borough of Culture is a Mayor of London initiative with support from the City of London Corporation’s Charity, City Bridge Trust and Airbnb.
Commissioned by Camden People's Theatre and Camden Alive, supported by Regent's Place.
@CamdenAlive