After the riots of 2011 across England, Penned in the Margins initiated Riot Acts: a project to commission four new works in development in response to the riots. Each commission was given a small commissioning fee, developmental support from producer Tom Chivers and theatre director Russell Bender, and the opportunity to present their work-in-progress at a sold-out night at Rich Mix, London.

Stand-up poet Luke Wright‘s Revolt is a tale of corruption at the top, combining contemporary social satire with the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. Performance artist and theatre maker Greg McLaren of STK International conducts A Score for a Riot, asking the audience to consider who is responsible for what they are doing, and who put them there in the first place. Sophie Woolley‘s futuristic monologue Stratford City 2013 is a confessional about a bickering couple accidentally caught up in the riots of a beautiful giant shopping mall filled with lovely things. And theatre collectives The Hurly Burly & Circus Kinetica join forces to create Birdy, a modern take on the Icarus myth set in a burning building.

Selected artists: Luke Wright, Sophie Woolley, Greg McLaren, Hurly Burly & Circus Kinetica

Producer: Tom Chivers

Director: Russell Bender

Stage Manager: Jules Richardson

Thanks to Rich Mix