Niamh Jones

What is theatre fundamentally about? Why do we create any form of literature or performance? Why do we tell stories? Stories are such a formative part of life, forging our knowledge of the world and helping to bring communities together.

A person’s life can be dictated by many things - career, relationships, decisions made… In the case of Andrée Bernard’s What (is) a Woman it seems that men have dictated the protagonist’s life.

Art mimics life, or so we are always led to believe. In the case of James Alston’s Scarlet Sunday, the life behind the art is perhaps both difficult to see and blindingly obvious. Alston’s play, which is currently being performed at the Omnibus Theatre, provides an insight into the life of renowned artist Ray Blackwood following his death.

Fresh from a UK tour and three years after the Amazon Prime movie, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is back in London. The well known story is one of a Year 11 student in Sheffield who faces the challenges of his surroundings in order to become a drag queen. The musical, based on a true story, remains a heartwarming and energetic tale that promises to put a smile on your face.

Onjali Q. Raúf’s The Boy at the Back of the Class has become a widely read novel since its publication in 2018. The book, and recently adapted play, tells the story of refugee boy Ahmet arriving at a London primary school and having to integrate into the Year Five class. Adapted by Nick Ahad, the play is told from the perspective of a fellow classmate of Ahmet’s, Alexa, as she and her friends learn about refugees and the trails that they face.