Follow the Pied Piper to Leeds Playhouse
- Alan Hulme
- Mar 1
- 2 min read
Featuring a community cast of young people from across the Leeds City Region, a hip-hop retelling of the tale of the Pied Piper, is at Leeds Playhouse from March 12-14.
Members of Leeds Playhouse’s Youth Theatre will collaborate with participants from Buzz, the theatre's programme for young people with learning disabilities, autism, and profound and multiple learning disabilities, to form the core of the community chorus.
Participants have been taking part in workshops, learning microphone techniques, beatboxing, and rapping. Young people from Buzz will be working closely with rapper, poet and dramatist Testament (aka Andy Brooks) to develop and refine their skills for their role in this inclusive company.
Written and composed by hip-hop theatre practitioner and artistic director Conrad Murray, the production draws on years of innovative vocal
work and youth-led music theatre at London's Battersea Arts Centre Beatbox Academy.
Conrad Murray said: “One of the reasons we created the show was because we wanted to show off the possibilities of the human voice, as well as the incredible skills of young people from working class backgrounds, who don't usually get access to the theatre.
"It’s a story that shows how we as humans need art, we need creativity, and we need it to be in our lives and in our schools. Ultimately, I want people to leave the show feeling like they’ve seen something that's beautifully crafted and that there’s hope for the future.”
Pied Piper premiered in 2023 at Battersea Arts Centre, winning an Offie award for music and sound in theatre for young audiences.
More info here
