East End Tales
22 March 2016
“Sleep in the day, come out at night. That’s when I reckon y’see the real East End.”
The annual Fifth Form play took to the stage on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 March. ‘East End Tales’ is a series of nine stories inspired by photos and news articles from local papers in East London. It was written as part of The Half Moon Theatre’s Young People’s Script-works Project in 2008. The story ideas were initially developed by a group of young people aged 15 and 16 over a number of weeks, through a mixture of workshops, improvisation and written exercises, before being finally shaped and written up in a very definite lyrical style by Fin Kennedy.
The stories range from short contemplations on the nature of living in East London, through to longer tales exploring issues such as domestic violence, the drudgery of low-skilled jobs, petty crime and high density living. An 18-strong ensemble cast produced an exciting and vibrant production that entertained and also provoked controversy and debate.
Pictures from the play can be seen here.
Nick Bayley, Director of Drama