A two-role play that could be a good source for exam scripted pieces, finds Naomi Holcombe.
Set in London and inspired by real events, DRUM by Jacob Roberts-Mensah is a play about identity, assimilation, success and centres itself around two Ghanaian characters, their nostalgia for home, and what it means to live in Britain in the 1960s.
The play is a two-hander, set at BBC Broadcasting House, between Ghanaian creatives James Barnor (a photographer) and radio presenter Mike Eghan. James is interviewing Mike for Drum magazine and there is some obvious initial tension, although the two laugh and joke with each other as well.
The play is about identity and their perception of it. James feels that Mike is losing what is means to be Ghanaian. He criticises his English-sounding accent when he speaks on the radio: ‘Don't use your funny accent … just two years and you're trying to talk like you are the Queen's husband’.
The two characters discuss success, assimilation and home, but they have different interpretations of what is means to be Ghanaian. They see things quite differently, but both have come to England to be a success.
You forget when reading this play that these characters were living in a time in Britain when signs used to be displayed in shop windows and houses reading ‘no blacks, Irish or dogs allowed’. Discrimination in the 1960s was a far cry from the ‘free loving’ music that was being played on the radio.
Ghanaian music features throughout this play, and there are opportunities for a lot of different artists to be played. With a highlife gig soundtrack, and moments for the characters to dance in the play, alongside the tension that is created between the characters, Drum has a joyful feeling to it. There are also great ways to show projections of London and Accra in the 1960s, which would bring the setting to life for the audience.
This play is unlikely to be staged at many schools as the cast would be so small, but it could make for a fresh and interesting scripted piece for an exam. I would love to see the original photographs described at the end and the feature in Drum magazine accompanied by celebratory and joyful music. As someone who has never been to Ghana, I want to know more.