Today’s the last day of Platform’s performance ‘Oil City‘ – the spy-thriller for the post-Occupy age. I went last Thursday with the same bare information as any non-Platform person would have.
For the past two weeks, at 9am, 1pm and 5pm, audiences of 6 people 
have been taken on an intense and beautifully crafted set of encounters in and around the Square Mile. We were tasked with untangling a web of corrupt deals between RBS, BP and the British government, alongside a 1st Nation Canadian activist, and with intel from surprising sources. The power of the piece for me lies in the authority of the research underpinning it, coupled with the way the actors and script brilliantly use the dynamic context of the financial district. Real documents are produced, up-to-the minute analysis is provided. You as audience get caught up in the need to know, the suspicions that mount. Unexpected emotions get tapped into as we find ourselves confronting new sources whose stories we did not realise were so connected. Towards the end, you the audience are faced with big questions of trust which our group found gripping. See the trailer here.
Issues around environmental racism are at the heart of Oil City, and it’s great that on Sunday, our youth project Shake! has its Showcase at The Albany, Deptford. The idea for Shake! grew out of our work on oil and justice in Nigeria, and it creates a programme of workshops for youth aged 16-25 on arts, media, race and power.
Shake! makes space to imagine what justice looks like, experiment with new ideas, learn new tools, work with artists and environmentalists, inspire new youth-led artistic and activist work.
The showcase will present the fresh brilliance of the group that came together for the February 2013 course, alongside spoken work artists Zena Edwards, Sai Murray, Kadish Morris, Selina Nwulu.
Come along on Sunday, 6pm. It’s free, but book here
NEWS: The next Shake! intensive course runs
5 – 9th August 2013 at Bernie Grant Arts Centre, Tottenham. The course is FREE but you must register as places are imited. Email [email protected] for info; Visit Shake’s blog here to get inspired.