Production Photos by David Levene

Karl Collins
The Architect, co-produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Actors Touring Company runs in South East London until Sunday 10 September. Cast: Karl Collins – The Architect Llewella Gideon – The Conductor Danielle Kassarate – Female Lover Daniel Ward – Male Lover Dalumuzi Moyo – Boy 1 Omar Austin – Boy 2 Doreene Blackstock – A Mother Shayde Sinclair – Niece. London. Photograph by David Levene 6/9/23
The Architect, co-produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Actors Touring Company runs in South East London until Sunday 10 September. Cast: Karl Collins – The Architect Llewella Gideon – The Conductor Danielle Kassarate – Female Lover Daniel Ward – Male Lover Dalumuzi Moyo – Boy 1 Omar Austin – Boy 2 Doreene Blackstock – A Mother Shayde Sinclair – Niece. London. Photograph by David Levene 6/9/23
The Architect, co-produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Actors Touring Company runs in South East London until Sunday 10 September. Cast: Karl Collins – The Architect Llewella Gideon – The Conductor Danielle Kassarate – Female Lover Daniel Ward – Male Lover Dalumuzi Moyo – Boy 1 Omar Austin – Boy 2 Doreene Blackstock – A Mother Shayde Sinclair – Niece. London. Photograph by David Levene 6/9/23
The Architect, co-produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Actors Touring Company runs in South East London until Sunday 10 September. Cast: Karl Collins – The Architect Llewella Gideon – The Conductor Danielle Kassarate – Female Lover Daniel Ward – Male Lover Dalumuzi Moyo – Boy 1 Omar Austin – Boy 2 Doreene Blackstock – A Mother Shayde Sinclair – Niece. London. Photograph by David Levene 6/9/23
The Architect - actor Shayde Sinclair sits among the other passengers
Photographer
The Architect, co-produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Actors Touring Company runs in South East London until Sunday 10 September. Cast: Karl Collins – The Architect Llewella Gideon – The Conductor Danielle Kassarate – Female Lover Daniel Ward – Male Lover Dalumuzi Moyo – Boy 1 Omar Austin – Boy 2 Doreene Blackstock – A Mother Shayde Sinclair – Niece. London. Photograph by David Levene 6/9/23
The Architect, co-produced by Greenwich+Docklands International Festival and Actors Touring Company runs in South East London until Sunday 10 September. Cast: Karl Collins – The Architect Llewella Gideon – The Conductor Danielle Kassarate – Female Lover Daniel Ward – Male Lover Dalumuzi Moyo – Boy 1 Omar Austin – Boy 2 Doreene Blackstock – A Mother Shayde Sinclair – Niece. London. Photograph by David Levene 6/9/23
L-R Top: Karl Collins, Llewella Gideon, Danielle Kassaraté, Daniel Ward L-R Bottom: Omar Austin, Shayde Sinclair, Doreene Blackstock, Dalumuzi Moyo
L-R Top: Karl Collins, Llewella Gideon, Danielle Kassaraté, Daniel Ward - L-R Bottom: Omar Austin, Shayde Sinclair, Doreene Blackstock, Dalumuzi Moyo

An immersive experience, through time and a city…

Conceived by Mojisola Adebayo, Roy Williams and Matthew Xia, and created with a collective of leading Black artists including Bola Agbaje, Dexter Flanders, Vanessa Macauley and XANA.


The Architect asks how we create a blueprint for the future, three decades after a seismic event in British history.  


This celebratory and stirring immersive theatrical experience, taking place on a London bus in September, explores the lives of Black Londoners, imagines the potential of uninterrupted Black lives, and the hopes, ambitions and dreams that accompany them through performance, sound design, music and spectacle.


The production’s stellar cast is led by Karl Collins (Rockets And Blue Lights, National Theatre) and Llewella Gideon (Mary Seacole, Donmar Warehouse) who play The Architect and The Conductor respectively. The cast also includes Daniel Ward who recently starred in ATC’s hit show Tambo & Bones (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Danielle Kassaraté, Shayde Sinclair (Sleepover, The Bush Theatre); Doreene Blackstock, Omar Austin, Dalumuzi Moyo.


Produced by Actors Touring Company and Greenwich + Docklands Festival, following their award-winning collaboration on Family Tree, and in proud in association with the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation.  

 

ATC Artistic Director Matthew Xia says: “Thirty years ago, the UK was rocked to its very core by the unprovoked racist murder of South London teenager Stephen Lawrence. The ensuing decades became a fight for justice and revealed the extent of institutional racism across the nation. I have gathered a collective of the most brilliant Black theatre artists to respond to this commemorative moment, and as is often the way with such painful events and memories, we want to try to move through the trauma, and the profound loss towards something uplifting and hopeful. We come together in our collective power to imagine an alternative city, designed and inhabited by The Architect, and we invite you to journey with us.” 

Jessica Neil, Chief Executive of the Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation said: “Stories have the power to inspire ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. The deeply personal individual experiences of people from marginalised communities, paint a picture of our remarkable collective contributions to British society,and also of how far we still have to travel.The Architect is a powerful example of how storytelling can create empathy, understanding and hope in communities, and we are so proud that Stephen’s legacy is being supported by GDIF, Matthew Xia and the Actors Touring Company as they bring this important production to life.”

RESOURCE LINKS

Digital Programme

Carepack & Further Resources

Audience Survey

Press Release

REVIEWS

Click on the links below to read

the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews. 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A masterful must-see immersive experience which inspires us to seek justice and realise our dreams” @todolistldn

  

⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️⭐️️ “A truly transporting ride … surreal, captivating and ultimately life -affirming.” @guardian 

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A powerful and innovative piece of storytelling about community, empathy and hope” @blackinbritain  

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Stunning.” @thestageuk  

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Weaves together countless stories that span generations, celebrating the passage of time and carving out moments that resonate deep within your soul … an exceptional production by Actors Touring Company” @alt_africa_  

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Inspired, intensely moving piece of immersive theatre.” @financialtimes  

 

CAST

OMAR AUSTIN
DOREENE BLACKSTOCK
KARL COLLINS
LLEWELLA GIDEON
DANIELLE KASSARATÉ
DALUMUZI MOYO
SHAYDE SINCLAIR
DANIEL WARD 
 

CREATIVE TEAM

 

DIRECTOR – MATTHEW XIA
WRITER/CURATOR – MOJISOLA ADEBAYO
WRITER/CURATOR – ROY WILLIAMS
WRITER – DR. VANESSA MACAULAY
WRITER – BOLA AGBAJE
WRITER – DEXTER FLANDERS
SET & COSTUME DESIGNER – NATALIE PRYCE
COMPOSER & SOUND DESIGNER – XANA
MOVEMENT DIRECOR – ASHA JENNINGS-GRANT
LIGHTING ASSOCIATE – CHRIS MCDONNNELL
COSTUME ASSOCIATE – NAOMI WRIGHT
 

PRODUCTION TEAM

PRODUCTION MANAGER – CLEMENTINE SEELY
CREATIVE PRODUCER – JADE SAMUELS
STAGE MANAGER – JAMES BOYER SMITH
COMPANY MANAGER – MARIE-ANGELIQUE ST.HILL
DEPUTY STAGE MANAGER – PARIS WU
ASSISTANT PRODUCER – BRAD HACKETT

 

ATC TEAM
GDIF TEAM
 
 

REHARSAL IMAGES by GODOT PHOTOGRAPY

Standing L-R Dalumuzi Moyo, Doreene Blackstock, Llewella Gideon, Karl Collins, Omar Austin, Daniel Ward. Kneeling L-R - Shayde Sinclair & Danielle Kassaraté - Credit Godot Photography (1)
Omar Austin, Shayde Sinclair, Danielle Kassaraté, Matthew Xia, Natalie Pryce, & Doreene Blackstock - Credit Godot Photography (1)
Marie-Angelique St. Hill, Daniel Ward, Brad Hackett, & Jade Samuels - Credit Godot Photography
Llewella Gideon & Mojisola Adebayo - Credit Godot Photography (1)
Full Company B&W - Credit Godot Photography (1)
Bola Agbaje & Karl Collins - Credit Godot Photography
Omar Austin & Dalumuzi Moyo - Credit Godot Photography
Matthew Xia, Shayde Sinclair, Doreene Blackstock & James Boyer Smith - Credit Godot Photography
Doreene Blackstock, Shayde Sinclair & Matthew Xia - Credit Godot Photography
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