Creating and Realising Locked In, a 13+ Play
Locked In by Fin Kennedy, like many of our commissions, began where the authentic voice of our community and our audiences spoke directly to an artist who had the skills to frame and broker their stories and aspirations into a piece of theatre.
Locked In emerged over a 3 and half year period, with Chris Elwell as the dramaturg. The play’s development followed this pattern:
by Fin Kennedy
A hip hop drama for 13+ years
We’re da Two Wise Men an dis is how it goes
We chat about da issues dat need to be exposed
Cos out dere on road fings is reachin overload
Dere’s a bomb in dis manor an its gonna
Explode!
On the 20th floor of an abandoned East End tower block, Blaze (a Caribbean MC) and Tariq (a Bengali DJ) rip up the airwaves on a leading pirate station. Their last CD was a massive hit and they’re all set to hit the big time with their first live set at Exile FM’s birthday bash coming up. Then Zahida comes into their lives and cracks begin to appear in their friendship. When a local gangster asks Blaze for a serious favour, suddenly there’s a choice to be made that could split their world wide open.
Locked In is a gritty hard-hitting piece written by Fin Kennedy. Developed in direct contact with young people, it portrays a diverse cross-cultural inner-city life and characters, underscored by a contemporary hip hop soundtrack.
“Locked In is an example of that rare, beautiful creature: a youth-marketed play that really does make a connection with its audience. The performances from all three actors are gripping and realistic, the set is well-designed, and the story rips along at a cracking pace, ensuring that even the most easily distracted will stay engaged.” (Croydon Advertiser)
Find out more on our archive website.