The festival returns to a newly re-painted Shell Theatre for its second year
By Olivia Opara

Haringey Fringe 2021. Credit: Stephen Furner

Local theatre festival Haringey Fringe is returning to Lordship Rec for the second year in a row on Saturday, 30th July.

Following the success of last year’s trial, the festival will feature a series of theatre productions from professional and community acts. Performances will take place at Lordship Hub and the newly-updated Shell Theatre, designed by the internationally-renowned Tottenham artist Camille Walala and repainted by community members last month.

The festival – which features a diverse line-up of theatre, dance, spoken word, music and comedy – is being run by Tottenham-based Newsroom Theatre Company, in partnership with Lordship Hub, Shell Performing Arts Collective and Friends of Lordship Rec.

First on the line-up is local DJ Mark Feltham and Felt Sound System, who will provide music throughout the day. Mini-productions – such as the family-friendly storytelling session A Wizard Did It (by Timothy Williams) and the audience-led improv show Photocopier (from Amorphous Horse) – will be shown intermittently during the festival.

Another highlight will be the Newsroom Session, during which professional actors will learn, rehearse and perform a fresh script all in one day. Westenders, a group of musical mega fans, are fourth on the line-up, and will improvise a self-titled musical in response to suggestions and directions from the audience. In the evening, Westenders are scheduled to host a music workshop for children in the park. There will also be a workshop on African drumming and culture by Kamozi Mukasa and Claire Nansamba, a local father-daughter duo who teach about the history of Baganda drums and their cultural use.

Later, Helena Raeburn’s all-women play She said what?! digs into imagined historical scenarios inspired by real events – including the story of Annie Londonderry, the first woman to cycle around the world. The singer/songwriter and multidisciplinary artist Jasmine Kahlia will also deliver a performance.

Benjamin Froehlich, managing director of Newsroom Theatre Company, launched Haringey Fringe in 2021 because he saw that the borough lacked a theatre-based festival where professional and community acts could work collaboratively. “Theatre is culture, not just entertainment,” he said. “It is also political – writers and performers want to be heard.”

The festival is an all day event, catered by the Hub Cafe at Lordship Hub. For more information visit newsroomtheatrecompany.com/haringey-fringe

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