Cast announced for new Black British musical

A four-way collaboration between Brixton House, PlayWell Productions, Birmingham Hippodrome and Salford’s Lowry brings a new Black British musical to Salford in October.

Black Power Desk (October 16-18) by critically-acclaimed playwright Urielle Klein-Mekongo, features a dynamic original score performed live, blending RnB, Reggae, Soul and Ska.

The musical follows the complex relationship between two sisters - one an activist, the other who prefers to stay out of it and keep her family together - and stars National Theatre and Royal Court actors Rochelle Rose and Veronica Carabai as Celia and Dina.

The ensemble cast also features Alexander Bellinfantie, Tomos Eames, Gerel Falconer, Fahad Shaft, Chanté Faucher, Alan Drake and Casey Bird.

Set in 1970s London, Black Power Desk - inspired by the real-life events of the Mangrove Nine and the British Black Power movement - explores a rarely-mined part of British history, providing a stirring portrait of the times.

The cast members are supported by a creative team including director Gbolahan Obisesan (Olivier-nominated for Cutting It at the Royal Court) and book and lyric writers Gerel Falconer, Renell Shaw and Gail Babb.

Playwright Urielle Klein-Mekongo said: “This musical was borne of a desire to delve deeper and discover the stories from Black British history. This led me to create a story in the context of the Black British civil rights movement and how the establishment tried to extinguish it."

More info and tickets here