Birmingham company Stan’s Café is to tour Community Service, a new, gospel-powered theatre show inspired by real events.
The play is set in the 1980s. Trevor, one of the West Midlands’ first black police officers and an acclaimed gospel guitarist, is about to face a series of personal and professional challenges that look set to reshape the world around him.
There are deep divisions on the streets, at work and even in the Pentecostal Church where Trevor sees a divide developing between generations as youngsters listen to secular music on the radio and rebel against the strict rules of their immigrant parents.
Set against a backdrop of Thatcher's Britain, the Handsworth riots, miners’ strikes and casual racism, Community Service is a “music-filled, witty, emotional and uplifting theatre show boasting an infectious live soundtrack that embraces spirit-raising gospel, Jamaican reggae and Motown-influenced funk”.
The production will be directed by Reisz Amos, Paul Steadman and Stan’s Cafe’s artistic director James Yarker with gospel consultation by Ray Prince. The show is devised and performed by Reisz Amos, Yasmin Dawes, Kianyah Caesar-Downer and Dominic Thompson.
Amos said, “I'm both excited and honoured to be involved in this piece. As a member of the black creative workforce I feel it’s vital to see ourselves, our battles, our losses, our resilience and our triumphs reflected on stage and coming from authentic voices.”
Community Service opens at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry from Wednesday 10 until Saturday 13 April. It then tours to Tobacco Factory Theatres, Bristol (23 until 27 April), New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich (30 April and 1 May), Derby Theatre (2 until 4 May) and Birmingham Hippodrome (8 until 11 May).