Lights, camera, activism

'How do we get our young people to see the versions of themselves in the future?’ This is the question behind everything the team at Theatre Peckham does, explains associate director malakaï sargeant, whether within its building or through its development programmes.

Young, Gifted & Black

This Autumn, the question has been answered through sargeant's Young, Gifted & Black season, which, they explain, ‘is about belonging more than anything else, through everything that we've gone through this year as a global Black community. So, you know, police brutality and corruption, disproportionate effects of cissexism, climate change, and COVID-19.’

‘I wanted to curate a series of events that sparked joy and catalysed conversation and discussion that is impactful, meaningful and goes somewhere, and doesn't just stay in an echo chamber.’ They go on, ‘I don't believe that theatre necessarily changes people, but people change people. So, this season kind of explores the stories and the diversity of stories of Blackness, being clear that this is about Blackness in and among the landscape of whiteness.

‘When we were constantly made to feel marginalised, made to feel as if our experiences are second-hand or can only be constrained to one month, how do we still find joy, how do we still feel a sense of ownership and a sense of belonging and freedom and dignity?’

malakaï sargeant (he/they)

The Young, Gifted & Black season was born, combining digital and in-person events, and celebrating Theatre Peckham's achievement of being one of the first theatres in the UK to have COVID safety measures in place. Its curator, sargeant, is a writer, theatre director, cultural producer, facilitator, consultant, and dramaturg, having been working in and around the industry for six years. Alongside their role at Theatre Peckham, they are also co-director of an experimental literary arts organisation called Born::Free in collaboration with poets Chima Nseodo and Belinda Zhawi.

The season has seen writer and filmmaker Caleb Femi in conversation with Brenda Emmanus about his new book, with two young people responding to some of Femi's poems as part of the launch, as well as an in-person performance of babirye bukilwa's …cake. Speaking a few days after the play, sargeant says, ‘It really looks at obligation through love – why we're forced to love the people we're supposed to love, how we live authentically, and how Black femmes who are queer live authentically and what that means.’

Exploration through art

Now, we are speaking over Zoom, joined by sargeant's inquisitive kitten Roble – an African Somalian name, they tell me, meaning ‘bringer of rain’ or ‘born during the rainy season’. The kitten is mischievous, knocking something over loudly off-screen, and peering directly into the webcam, looming large and making me laugh inappropriately while sargeant articulates a particularly sincere point. But the cat's antics cannot detract from the profound and confronting truth of what sargeant is saying. If I could fill this whole magazine with their words, I would.

Theatre Peckham, South London

In their work, sargeant explores issues like gentrification, black capitalism, social cleansing, Black British culture, and being sad. When asked how all these subjects come together in their art, sargeant explains, ‘I think being sad is the thing that connects them all. I'm sad about all of those things.’

They tell me about a specific aspect of gentrification they have experienced within the arts, whereby white working-class people from London are praised for being ‘authentic’ when using slang in a professional setting. Whereas, sargeant explains, a Black person from similar parts of London doing the same may be stigmatised and might expect to receive an email asking them to ‘refrain from using slang in a professional context’. Reflecting on this, they say, ‘I make an active point to talk how I talk wherever I'm talking. Whether that's in a board meeting, or on a panel, or in an interview. I think Black working-class people should be encouraged to do the same.’

Disproportionate effects

Reflecting on the current global crisis, throughout which the season has run, sargeant says, ‘What's made the pandemic quite poignant is that it's revealed a lot of the existing inequalities, inequities, and imbalances that we – the people on the receiving end of it – were already acutely aware of.’ Here, they are referring to the way in which wide-scale redundancies of freelance and casual staff within the arts have seen Black and ethnically diverse people disproportionately affected financially.

‘I just wish that there had been the realisation prior to the pandemic that what we've been saying is true. I hope that when we're creating new ways of working, it doesn't resort to old structures, but that it radically challenges what exists. Because clearly what exists has failed and we need something new, something more comprehensive, and something better. I really hope that there's a wake-up happening, as opposed to a long, exasperated yawn and then we go back to normal.’

Solution focused

In practical terms, this shift to ‘something better’ starts with training and development, which Theatre Peckham places at the heart of its organisation, along with giving all children and young people access to the arts. ‘What's the point in having young trustees on your board if they don't know how to read a cash flow chart, or what annual accounts look like? How are they then going to be able to understand, contribute to, and inform the work of a producing theatre company?’ asks sargeant.

Speaking about the future of the arts more generally, sargeant says, ‘As a Black, queer person from a background with no money, I've always been saving for rainy days – rainy days come more often to me than other people. I'm used to having to think about next steps, years in advance. I guess this is now happening across the industry.

Suzann McLean, artistic director at Theatre Peckham 

‘There are solutions to be had in collaboration, in cross-sector collaboration as well. We all know that theatre's got no money, but I can tell you that the tech industry does. I think it's about looking at how everything is tied – climate change, anti-oppressive work, training and opportunities, partnerships – to holistically overhaul an industry which the government is determined to decimate bit by bit, day by day.’

‘I think we all know someone who knows someone who works at an organisation that's a household name, so let's start tapping into those contacts. Does H&M, for example, want to sponsor this programme of work which could mean that 200 young people get the chance to see a show? It's £5k, which is nothing to them.’

The words sargeant leaves me with sum up what they and everyone else at Theatre Peckham are trying to do, as well as serve as an urgent call to action for the rest of us: ‘There are a lot of questions about ethics to be asked, and I think it's time to start having those conversations and asking those questions. If we don't do it now, my fear is that we may not see an industry at all, let alone one that's fair, equitable, and accessible.’

Theatre Peckham runs TP Academy for 3–7 year-olds and Young Peckham for 18–25 year-olds, as well as year-round programmes with schools, including Christmas productions. Donations to ensure Theatre Peckham can continue to carry out its vital work are always gratefully received. www.theatrepeckham.co.uk