HomeArts & Lifestylegood dog by Arinzé Kene in UK Tour

good dog by Arinzé Kene in UK Tour

From the star of Crazyhead, Eastenders and Youngers, Arinzé Kene returns to writing for theatre for the first time since God’s Property in 2013. In this vivid monologue, Kene tells of community, growing up in a diverse area unified by class and survival, and what happens when you lose faith in being good.

When prejudiced voices are amplified, the arts must remind us of the humans obscured within the propaganda storm. good dog is a clear human voice which tells those important intimate stories in a troubled landscape. good dog is a true epic – spanning multiple characters, families and years. This political and personal piece of theatre introduces an overlapping network of rich characters and stories that explore significant issues for today such as social decay, institutional racism, drug abuse and bullying.

Kene’s initial inspiration for good dog stemmed from a desire to imagine what drove his friends and community to riot in the summer of 2011 – in London and beyond – but it has become a chronicle of a community struggling to survive and fighting back.

Directed by tiata fahodzi’s artistic director Natalie Ibu, this bold, funny and well-observed work opens at Watford Palace Theatre in February and will embark on a UK tour.

Natalie Ibu comments, “Arinzé’s play is an astonishing love letter to the people and places that leave their mark on your life and a troubling thesis about what happens when you are unseen and unheard. At tiata fahodzi we pride ourselves in seeking out stories that see those who sit outside the singular narrative. We refuse to oversimplify the African diaspora and, instead, relish the complexity. We want to multiply the narratives – about ourselves and each other – and debate the mixed experience of Britain today and tomorrow.”

tiata fahodzi creates inclusive theatre that illuminates the mixed and multiple experience of the African diaspora in Britain today. Their work starts with the contemporary British African experience but reaches beyond to ask everyone, what does it mean to be a contemporary Briton, now?

See www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk for more details and to book.

Greg Jameson
Greg Jameson
Book editor, with an interest in cult TV.

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