iBLACKBIRD FESTIVAL
June - July 2023
NEED TO KNOW
iBlackbird and The Playground Theatre have teamed up to produce a summer long festival of events celebrating the community brought to us by the Windrush and other boats.
We Are Not A Boat
We are putting the community at the heart of the creation of this Festival. This community does not want to be reduced to being a boat, an alien, or wheeled out once a year to tell its story. These are events run for the community, by the community, with The Playground helping to produce each one.
DAY 1 | June 22
RAISING THE WINDRUSH FLAG
Celebrating the community brought by the Windrush and other boats
RBKC Town Hall
On Windrush Day we Raised the Windrush Flag, amongst over 50 of our community and performers, including the Deputy High Commissioner of Barbados, the Mayor of RBKC and the organisations Pepper Pot Centre and Catch-22.
DAY 2 | July 23
ROOTS CULTURE FESTIVAL
Celebrating Legends of Reggae and Culture
PORTOBELLO GREEN | 2PM - 10PM
Tributes and Legends:
JAH SHAKA | DRUMMIE ZEB | DADDY VEGO (PEOPLE SOUND SYSTEM) | MISS GERTY & PECKINGS (SOUND SYSTEM)| LEGENDARY BRIXTON COXSONE SOUND SYSTEM | ONE LOVE SOUND SYSTEM | INVADER LADBROKE GROVE SOUND SYSTEM
DAY 3 | July 29
THE TIME HAS COME
New Play by Makonnen
THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE
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A new play by community member and debutant playwright Makonnen, The Time Has Come was presented at The Playground Theatre with the support of National Lottery Community Funding. The play centers on ‘JD3’, ‘The B Club’s owner, a club in Jamaica, who, following band leader and friend ‘Everton’s’ collapse, is in desperate need to save the club and with it his family heritage, but at what cost?
The Time Has Come, stared Charles Tomlin 'The people’s comedian and best Jamaican comedy actor in the business’ as lead character ‘JD3’. Charles has been at the very top of the business in the UK for over thirty years and before that in Jamaica. He was in Brixton, with the ground breaking ROOTS THEATRE and later Blue Mountain Theatre, including shows, ‘The Perfect Black Man’ and Floyd Knight’s exciting Othello adaptation.
Also TV star and Actor Lovena Brown, DJ STEVE (One Love) and some of the young people from Intermission Youth Theatre completed the ensemble (M.S.N.D, Juliet and Romeo, Ring of Envy etc.)
IYT are an almost perfect institution, transforming young people’s lives, especially those experiencing difficult circumstances, through nurture, care, constant support, and drama, encouraging them to make positive changes.
The play was directed by Makonenn, and produced by iBlackbird founder Flower Veronica’s Daughter, with support from The Playground Theatre Team. The show was designed by the brilliant Georgia Wilmot (Back Up! The Route, Project 2036 The Bush). Georgia's grandfather was a migrant on the Windrush.
The Time Has Come is kindly supported by The National Lottery Community Fund, The West Way Trust and The Kensington and Chelsea Community Spirit Award, and featured in the K&C Festival as well as K&C Art Week.
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