Written by Urielle Klein-Mekongo (Old Vic 12) in collaboration with Rapperturg and Black British Theatre Award winner Gerel Falconer, the new musical will premiere at Brixton House later this year.
Artwork for Black Power Desk. Photo by Courtney Nathan Phillip.
Brixton House and Playwell Productions will present Black Power Desk from 1-28 September, in association with Birmingham Hippodrome and the Lowry.
With an original score and a live band blending R&B, Reggae, Soul and Ska, Black Power Desk is inspired by the real-life events of the Mangrove Nine. Set in 1970s London, the new musical will offer audiences a stirring portrait of the era alongside an epic and rich soundtrack of resistance.
Playwright Urielle Klein-Mekongo (Old Vic 12, Roundhouse Resident Artist, Bush Theatre) says: "This musical was borne from a desire to delve deeper and discover the stories from Black British history that have been left untold. My inquisitiveness led me to create a story in the context of the Black British civil rights movement and how the establishment tried to extinguish it. At its heart are two sisters, one who is an activist fighting for humanity and the other who wants to hold on to family and live their humanity without the struggle. Told through the lens of two women with a rich 70s musical soundscape, I hope it will touch many hearts and stirs the soul.“
Director Gbolahan Obisesan adds: “Black Power Desk is a new musical inspired by real events concerning the British Black Panthers in the 1970s. Set to an original soundtrack of Reggae, Soul, R&B, Ska and catchy lyricism with an enduring political message of love and liberation. “
The production sits within Brixton House's Uprising Festival, a season of work this autumn that will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Brixton Uprising, sparked by the police shooting of Cherry Groce in 1985.
The cast for Black Power Desk is to be revealed soon.
