REVIEW: THE ARCHITECT Presented by GDIF & Actors Touring Company 6 - 10 Sept 2023

‘An evening of wonderful writing and authentic acting that accurately portrayed the lives of black people in the 1990s’ ★★★★ ½

In the programme notes the Director Matthew Xia explains the purpose of  show: The Architect is in commemoration of Stephen Lawrence, although not about him, it is an artistic response to that seismic event in British history in 1993. Brilliant black artists have been gathered together to respond as a collective power to celebrate black lives, hopes and dreams and to imagine an alternative city, designed and inhabited by the ‘The Architect’.

'The Architect' began at a London bus stop delighting the audience with a pre-show performance. The audience were warmly welcomed by the bus conductress played by Llewella Gideon. The audience stepped onto the bus and entered the 1990s. The heat of the evening, tempered slightly by complimentary fans, was stifling at times adding to the authentic feel of a 1990s bus ride in south London. Nostalgic 1990s music played in the background further drawing the audience back in time, as they watched lives unfold in front of them. The environment was so well constructed that some audience members ventured to speak to each other as if they were really on a working London bus.

Each character was excellently cast. Doreene Blackstock plays a mother with hopes and dreams for her unborn son, constructing his successful life before he is born and exploring the question, how do you teach your children to exist in a hostile environment? Two teenage boys, authentically played by Dalumuzi Moyo & Omar Austin demonstrating the innocence of youth and their need to make mistakes, while dealing with the challenges of being a black boy in south London in the 1990s. The spoken word pieces were moving and gave a sense of the community that came together in the face of racism. The direct address within some scenes seemed to draw the audience out of the moment and speak direct to their heart, very moving at times. Passing a touching memorial to Steven Lawrence deepening the sense of the tragic event that took place in 1993. An evening of wonderful writing and authentic acting that accurately portrayed the lives of black people in the 1990s.

Photography credit: David Levene

CAST

THE CONDUCTRESS LLEWELLA GIDEON

THE BOYS DALUMUZI MOYO & OMAR AUSTIN

FIRST BREATH AND ANY CITY THE VOICE OF VANESSA MACAULAY PAMELA DOREENE BLACKSTOCK

NADINE SHAYDE SINCLAIR

THE LOVERS DANIELLE KASSARATÉ & DANIEL WARD

THE ARCHITECT KARL COLLINS

FEATURING

THE METRONOMES STEEL ORCHESTRA & THE CAMBRIDGE HARRIERS

CREATIVE TEAM

CONCEIVED BY MOJISOLA ADEBAYO, ROY WILLIAMS & MATTHEW XIA

WRITTEN BY BOLA AGBAJE, MOJISOLA ADEBAYO, DEXTER FLANDERS, VANESSA MACAULAY, ROY WILLIAMS

DIRECTOR MATTHEW XIA

SET & COSTUME DESIGNER NATALIE PRYCE

COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER XANA

MOVEMENT DIRECTOR ASHA JENNINGS-GRANT

LIGHTING ASSOCIATE CHRIS MCDONNNELL

COSTUME ASSOCIATE NAOMI WRIGHT

PRODUCTION TEAM

PRODUCTION MANAGER CLEMENTINE SEELY CREATIVE PRODUCER JADE SAMUELS

COMPANY MANAGER MARIE-ANGELIQUE ST.HILL STAGE MANAGER JAMES BOYER SMITH

DEPUTY STAGE MANAGER PARIS WU

ASSISTANT PRODUCER BRAD HACKETT

THE ARCHITECT is co-produced by Actors Touring Company (ATC) and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival in proud association with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation

Information about what’s on at the GDIFestival 2023 can be found here https://www.royaldocks.london/whats-on/greenwich-docklands-international-festival-2023