SHOWS
ORPHEUS IN THE RECORD SHOP
Tickets available for Leeds Playhouse 2022 here
They say:
“A virtuoso display of wry humour and freewheeling musical invention … a surprisingly life-asserting finale.” ★★★★ The Times
“What this rising star does with his larynx is a wonder [...] With the added force of the Opera North orchestra (brass, wind, harp, more besides), it sends pleasing shivers down the spine.” ★★★★ The Telegraph
“Testament is a force of nature.“ ★★★★★ A Younger Theatre
She cared for him, she understood him… And now she’s gone.
Orpheus is alone, playing tunes in his record shop. After an old friend visits, strange things start to happen and music, myth and reality collides. Together with Orpheus we go in search of something ancient, contemporary and hopeful.
Acclaimed rapper and playwright Testament (Black Men Walking, The Beatboxer, WOKE) takes inspiration from the classical Greek myth of Orpheus, in a show that fuses spoken word and beatboxing with the musicians of the Orchestra of Opera North.
Orpheus in the Record Shop was originally part of Connecting Voices in October 2020, a collaboration between Leeds Playhouse and Opera North bringing together a collection of new and classic work celebrating the power of the human voice. An adpated version for television is now broadcast on BBC FOUR and BBC iPlayer.
A Leeds Playhouse and Opera North Co-production.
CREATIVES:
Orpheus: Testament
Voice: Helen Evora
Harp: Celine Saout
Violin: Catherine Landen
Violin: Ian Bone
Trombone: Christian Jones
French Horn: Bob Ashworth
Bassoon: Adam McKenzie
Clarinet: Andrew Mason
Written & Composed by Testament
Directed by Aletta Collins
(Additionial composition on “Hades” by Taz Modi).
THE BEATBOXER (Radio Play)
(Image by Martyn Strange)
The Beatboxer BBC Radio 4 Drama
*Shortlisted for The Imison Award BBC Audio Drama Awards
A beatboxer goes into a call centre to run a training day. But the bosses have ulterior motives for him being there. Written by and starring celebrated beatboxer Testament.
CAST & CREATIVES
Subs ..... Testament
Katherine ..... Susan Twist
Samiya ..... Purvi Parmar
Kristy ..... Verity Henry
Graham ..... John Branwell
Jaron ...... Dermot Daly
Caspero …..Sholto of The Pushwackers
Written by Testament. Director/Producer Gary Brown
Design by Mister Giles. Photo Huddwink Photography
2019 WOKE TOUR DATES
(click links below to book tickets)
*Testament has completed 2018/19 UK Tour of WOKE.
They say:
'Suffused with honesty and wit.' ★★★★ The Stage
'A heart-on-its- sleeve powerful piece of work.' ★★★★ Yorkshire Post
'A brilliant show' ★★★★★ AlwaysTimeForTheatre.com
“A great show.” Mark Thomas
'Testament is a one-man mashup machine...' British Theatre Guide
'...it denies anyone the comfort of sitting back and thinking “this doesn’t apply to me.' Exeunt Magazine
'...a mesmerising blend of beatbox, rap, spoken word and soliloquy'.' The Gryphon
‘...leaves you going away feeling uplifted.' Northern Quota Magazine
About:
The new show from Testament, the rapper, record holding beatboxer and the writer of the acclaimed Black Men Walking:
The twin juggernauts of hip-hop and feminism are on a collision course. And Testament reckons he’s the guy to sort it out.
A ‘conscious‘ rapper and World Record Holding Beatboxer, he thinks he’s a right-on kind of guy. He’s made theatre shows and had his poetry on Radio 4.
Then his daughter is born and suddenly he’s not so sure. That’s why he’s staying up late, lost in the dark worlds of the internet. Because that’s the place people go to talk about these things.
What will he discover as he starts to unpick his own prejudices? With a dose of wit, a knack for self-deprecation and a truck-load of honesty, Testament is ready to find out.
Expect beatboxing, spoken word, storytelling and hip-hop classics as you’ve never heard them before.
Suitable for ages 12+
A West Yorkshire Playhouse, Royal Exchange, Roundhouse and Camden People's Thetre co-production in association with LittleMighty.
CREATIVES
Writer & Performer Testament
Director Tom Wright
Dramaturgy Emma Adams
Designer Emma Tompkins
Lighting Design Aly Howe
Thanks to Dick & Gloria at Little Mighty. Emma Adams for your genius and patience. Suzanne Bell at Royal Exchange, Gilly Roche at Leeds Playhouse, Matthew Xia, Gaby Paradis and all at First Floor, Leeds Playhouse. Susan Burns at Chol Theatre. And thank you family for support (special salute to Elise).
BLACK MEN WALKING
*UK Theatre Awards 2018 Best New Play nominee *Writer’s Guild Award 2018 Best Play shortlist
Black Men Walking at The Royal Exchange, Manchester
Click here for Tour Dates
Watch the Black Men Walking Trailer
‘Powerful, political, lyrical… Testament’s writing is linguistically dazzling, full of punchy humour and poetic charm’ The Stage ★★★★★
'Mixing poetry and politics, this is a stirring piece that suggests there is no situation that cannot be changed.' ★★★★ The Guardian
'This production has a wow factor' ★★★★ The Independent
'...this is an original and penetrating piece, shifting in style from comic exchanges, to lyrical introspection, to choral refrains and passages of rap.' ★★★★ Financial Times
‘As poetic as it is potent.’ WhatsOnStage ★★★★
‘Exhilarating and absorbing’ Manchester Theatre Awards ★★★★
About:
A new play written by Testament. Directed by Dawn Walton.
“We walk. Though we are written into the landscape you don’t see us. We walked England before the English.”
Thomas, Matthew and Richard walk.
They walk the first Saturday of every month. Walking and talking. But this walk…
Maybe they should have cancelled, but they needed the walk today. Out in the Peaks, they find themselves forced to walk backwards through two thousand years before they can move forwards.
Dedicated to the Black Men’s Walking Group. A Revolution Mix story.
Black Men Walking is the first national tour born from Revolution Mix – a movement that will spearhead the largest ever national delivery of Black British stories.
Black Men Walking is a co-production between Eclipse Theatre and Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester.
Previous:
BLAKE REMIXED (2015)
Blake Remixed at The West Yorkshire Playhouse
“An entertaining fusion of hip hop, rap and beatboxing that thrusts the Blake mythology into the 21st century” The Stage
"No one is better set to bring Blake's words to a modern audience. Entangling Blake's canon with his own lines and rhymes, Testament's end result has a seamless momentum that gives the archaic a thrilling relevancy." Broadway Baby ★★★★
“Outstanding” The Reviews Hub ★★★★
“Inspiring, innovative performance” The State of the Arts ★★★★★
"A thrilling relevancy ... a fascinating insight into the line between beat boxing and poetry collide." ” - British Theatre Guide
About:
Acclaimed rapper and world record-holding beatboxer Testament smashes together UK Hip Hop with the iconic poetry of William Blake. Celebrating the greatest counter-cultural voices in British history, Blake Remixed fuses music and storytelling with a live DJ and interactive video.
Made in collaboration with Scratch DJ World Champion DJ Woody, the show brings cutting social insight to a coming of age story with a difference. The show features filmed appearances from internationally renowned UK Hip-Hop artists Soweto Kinch, Jehst, Ty and Shlomo.
Blake Remixed was initially developed at West Yorkshire Playhouse with Leeds based producers LittleMighty as a co-production.
See the Blake Remixed website for interviews, images and more here: www.blakeremixed.com