Ellie and Sam sit just metres away from each other on the steps at Stratford station every day, never meeting or speaking… until one day Ellie leaves her notebook behind. Sam embarks on a journey around Stratford to reunite Ellie with her notebook and maybe pluck up the courage to speak to her for the first time. All is not quite as it seems: this young couple know more about each other than they realise.
That’s the story behind a new play being performed by the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in August, directed by Karen Tomlin. That’s definitely performed “by”, not “in” – as The Streets is a promenade performance. The audience begins, as did Ellie and Sam, at Stratford station – before following them around the area, with performance surprises all along the way.
This is very much a collaborative piece. It combines and celebrates various strands of work with the Theatre Royal does with young people. The 60 players involved in The Streets come from local groups including the Theatre Royal Stratford East’s own Youth Theatre, Poets Platform, Stratford East Singers, Young and Talented (based in Barking) and dance collective Boy Blue.
The show is sponsored by ArcelorMittal, which has been a major sponsor of the Theatre’s Young People’s Work for two years, and by the English Cities Fund, in association with Rathbone Market Festival.
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The Streets Thursday, 6th August (4pm) and Saturday, 8th August (3pm and 5:30pm) Admission is free, but booking in advance is compulsory: Call the Box Office on 020-8534 0310; go to www.stratfordeast.com; book in person at Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN.