The Talking Drum: Voices from the Andover Estate
A verbatim play centring the real lives of the residents of the media-vilified Islington estate.
‘As soon as people hear our postcode, we get labelled. That is the hardest thing living on the estate – that label.’
Through interwoven stories spanning more than 50 years, a new verbatim play offers counter-narrative to the negative media narrative of the Andover Estate, which has tarnished the reputation of the area for decades. The Talking Drum has been created from three years of interviews conducted by a project team from London Metropolitan University, adapted by writer-director Tony Graham, and made in collaboration with Park Theatre, who work year-round with Andover Community Centre.
Following Andover Estate residents a retired ballerina finds herself suddenly homeless, a youth worker struggling against stereotypes at university, resident ‘007’ who can’t get the council to listen, and NJ, who dreams of being allowed to play the African Drums – it shows a diverse, multi-cultural, multi-generational community.
The stories offer an urgent and deeply personal counter-narrative to decades of negative media portrayal of London estates. A blend of theatre, grassroots storytelling and digital media, the production explodes assumptions about class and identity to ask: what does community mean to residents now?
Interviews were conducted by a project team from London Metropolitan University led by Professor John Gabriel with Dr Alya Khan and former resident of the Andover Estate Gulser Rose Kaya, and adapted into a stage play by writer-director Tony Graham.
Where: Park Theatre, London N4 3JP
When: 19 – 29 August
Tickets From £18
Venue details
- Address:
- Park Theatre
- Clifton Terrace
- London
- N4 3JP