New musical ON HOSTILE GROUND to be released as part of Royal & Derngate’s Made in Northampton season

Inspired by stories of the people affected by the government’s hostile environment policy, Royal & Derngate are releasing new musical On Hostile Ground in a series of free videos, beginning on 16 February.

The show was originally meant to feature at new musical theatre festival BEAM 2020, but this was sadly cancelled due to the pandemic. On Hostile Ground has a book by Juliet Gilkes Romero, music by Michael Henry, lyrics by Darren Clark, with direction by Charlotte Westenra (who also co-created the piece).

On Hostile Ground is a musical about that meeting and the ongoing devastating impact it had on the lives of people who live here legally and call Britain their home. It sets the naturalistic dramatisation of the politicians’ policy discussions against a musical telling of the personal stories of those affected. 

During lockdown, the writers developed their work into a series of 14 music videos and straight-to-camera monologues, filmed at home remotely by the actors. These videos are being released this month as part of Royal & Derngate’s upcoming Made in Northampton 2021 season of original new musical theatre. 

The first three videos will be available to watch from 16 February. That evening will also see the first of a series of free online Q+A sessions about the hostile ground policy and creation of the musical. The first is called The Hostile Environment: Impact and Legacy with panellists Amelia Gentleman (journalist and author of The Windrush Betrayal: Exposing the Hostile Environment), Jun Pang (Policy & Campaigns Officer, Liberty), Patrick Vernon OBE (social commentator, cultural historian and Windrush justice campaigner) and chaired by Juliette Foster (journalist and news presenter). 

Songs include Waiting Room about Albert Thompson (Ray Fearon, Fleabag) who was denied free NHS cancer care; Memory, a lament by Paulette Wilson (Dawn Hope, Follies) as she waits in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre to be deported to a country she left when she was 10 years old; Actual Conversation about the absurdity of the immigration system (featuring composer Michael Henry and Norman Bowman, 42nd Street); London Boy about twins Darrell and Darren Roberts (both played by Tyrone Huntley, Jesus Christ Superstar); who are being deported to different countries they have never visited; Generation Windrush (Arun Blair-Mangat, & Juliet; Nari Blair-Mangat, Cyrano de Bergerac; and Rodney Vubya, Evita); and Hide and Seek, a playground song (starring Paige Davies and Ashton James Griffiths from Royal & Derngate and Silhouette Youth Theatres) about the government’s attempt to have schools collect data on pupils’ nationality and country of birth. 

Monologues include: Where have those years gone? (performed by Jacqui Dubois) looking at the continuing injustices that the Chagos Islanders face; Jean Demars (Jonathan Charles) charts how the Home Office piloted a scheme to detain and remove EU rough sleepers to their country of origin with assistance from homeless charities; and Agnesa Wokcik (Hannah Brown) who was caught in an immigration sting set up by her employer.

For more information about On Hostile Ground or to book free tickets for the online Q&A sessions, please click here.