Talawa Firsts

Presenting these two pieces as a double-bill marks the first time that Talawa has taken productions from Talawa Firsts to key cities outside of London – encapsulating the vision of 2023’s festival, New Ideas; No Limits.

The two pieces complement each other hugely, using off-beat humour to tackle themes of extraction, temporality in people and places, (be)longing and the perils of late-stage capitalism.

Bougie Lanre’s Boulangerie by acclaimed poet Kareem Parkins-Brown is an existential poetry talk show chronicling Kareem’s years working in the hospitality industry, attempting to make ends meet as a Black, working-class artist who cares more about craft than consumerism. It’s the job of long-suffering waiting staff, servers and cooks to be kind; serving and embodying kindness, with a smile on each and every shift. Or is it…? Putting the ‘cuss dem’ in customer, through ingenious wordplay and graphic visuals, Kareem exposes a world of raging waiters, kind cooks, rude customers and gentrifying pop-ups that had audiences howling- as well as reconsidering how they behave in restaurants.  

Love in Gravitational Waves is a two-hander that is inspired by multi-generational interviews with over 40 people that articulates the vapid nature of contemporary dating through a fast-paced comedy-drama. Through a series of dates and apps interactions, we meet characters in search of something better in a world where profiles are currency and one right (or wrong) swipe is enough to change a life. A play about love, identity and fate penned by award-winning playwright and hip-hop artist/beatboxer Testament (Black Men Walking, Orpheus in the Record Shop).   

Age suitability: 12+

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