Pitlochry Festival Theatre & Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh present brand-new Roy Williams play HISTORY
Photo credit: Robert Day
In association with Naked Productions, the Pitlochry Festival Theatre and the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh have today announced the production of a brand-new play entitled History.
Directed by Ben Occhipiniti, History is written by Roy Williams and offers a complex view of Black Britain over the last 40 years through a series of monologues and duologues. The world première will take place live at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre and on the Lyceum’s new audio-digital venture Sound Stage from 24 – 26 September.
History explores the lives of a Black British family residing in London, living out the aftermath of the 1981 Brixton Riots, 9/11, Black Lives Matter, Brexit, and COVID-19 as they try to find purpose in their lives. History follows several characters through stories characterised with an injustice that has become all too frequent and normalised in society, from a wrongfully arrested naïve young boy to an empowered girl confronting a prejudiced policeman to clear her boyfriend’s name, to the struggles and conflicts of a relationship between a young gay man and his father. These are just some of the stories Williams’ play tells.
Of this play, Williams said: “We are well into the 21st Century and there are now at least three generations of Afro Caribbean/British people, born and bred as well as living and working in the UK. They have come a long way from their ancestors, the Windrush generation who first arrived to make a life for themselves over 70 years ago.
“The intention with this play is to offer what I hope will be a kaleidoscopic portrait, told through a series of monologues and duologues, of Black Britain over the last 40 years.
“All of this will emerge through a series of sound bites, narrated by one or two characters, over a period of time, from members of one large extended Black British family living in London who are all attempting to find meaning in their lives in today’s Britain.”
Tickets are currently on sale and can be bought here.
