MEET THE WRITER

CREATING A DYNAMIC NEW THEATRE / DJ PRODUCTION
UP(BEAT) weaves DJing, live sound production and text together to tell the story (think theatre meets DJ set). The story lives at the intersection of gender & addiction, emphasising the misplaced shame women experience. Alongside the public production in May, we are fundraising to develop an extensive community engagement programme for women in recovery from addiction. UP(BEAT) harnesses the power of creative arts to serve as an artistic intervention, encouraging connection & community as antidotes to addiction.

The innovative DJing & theatre form creates an opportunity to reach new audiences. SPEAKBEAT COLLECTIVE is a non-profit company, all funds raised will contribute to a high quality, accessible & inclusive project. Ultimately amplifying UP(BEAT)'s social impact to affect profound & positive change for women with lived experience of addiction.

UP(BEAT) is produced by SPEAKBEAT COLLECTIVE. It will premiere at Southwark Playhouse in May 2025.

Please see a taster of our work from a research and development week of UP(BEAT).

THE FUNDING (WHERE YOUR MONEY IS GOING)

We are looking for money to workshop, rehearse, build the music for and produce UP(BEAT) at Southwark Playhouse. We also need to fund our series of workshops for women in recovery delivered in partnership with The Amy Winehouse Foundation and Oasis Project Brighton.

THE COSTS BREAKDOWN

We are generously supported by Southwark Playhouse, Good Night Out, OASIS Project and The Amy Winehouse Foundation, with mentoring from Clean Break. Our partners are giving us in kind support by; free rehearsal & performance space, technical assistance, mentoring on working with challenging content, safer nightlife training and developing workshops for vulnerable adults.

Donations will directly fund all remaining costs, which include; rehearsals, live music development, all production costs & our community engagement development delivered in partnership with The Amy Winehouse Foundation and Oasis Project Brighton.

A BIT MORE DETAIL:

Paying all artists a sustainable rate across the project, guided by industry standards & reflecting the cost of living crisis. We are committed to hiring a diverse team, reflecting that addiction is indiscriminate across race, gender & class.

The form of the play requires us to purchase or hire specialist equipment including DJ decks, an SP404, microphones & a four channel mixer.

It is very important for us to make this work as accessible as possible. We will use funding to meet any access requirements of the hired team & community participants. 

Funding will also support the development of wrap around care for women in recovery, including: free travel and tickets, self care guide & pre show workshops to ensure our work is being seen by the community we seek to serve.

OUR STORY SO FAR…

SPEAKBEAT COLLECTIVE is a woman centred company telling stories with soundtracks, founded in 2021 by Annice Boparai, Ella Zgorska & Sarah Huckin. As theatre makers, we formed through our shared love of music and the drive to tell stories with a social impact. We collaborate with: DJs, sound designers, audio engineers, performers and live music production artists. We founded SPEAKBEAT COLLECTIVE on the belief that theatre can be brave in story and experimental in form.

We have curated 8 sold-out Pillowtalk Sessions (multidisciplinary events) at the Bush Theatre. Platforming over 80 artists, fostering a vibrant community which celebrates the fusion of music and words as a vessel for storytelling. Each session was centred around a topic e.g. Protest, Motherland, Sisterhood; carefully selected to spark important conversations. Please see the highlights video of PROTEST below

OUR CHARITY PARTNERS

Recovery arts research is kindly being supported by Dr Cathy Sloan (Senior Lecturer in Applied and Socially Conscious Theatre at the University of West London)