Theatre
The Rebel Cell
A Speers Production Limited & Giddy Ox Production
6 October 2010
From the producers of the West End Smash Hit 'Into the Hoods' and the critically acclaimed theatre company Giddy Ox comes the multi-award winning show The Rebel Cell.
This critically-acclaimed rap fable has been described as ‘8 Mile meets 1984'.
A rebellious show with real-time camera work, interactive video, a live scratch DJ and a lyrical hip hop battle that will blow your socks off - this show is a philosophical revolution!
It’s England 2015 and free speech and civil liberties are a thing of the past.
The leader of the revolution has been captured by the state police and a thrilling lyrical battle pits the freedom fighter against his old friend - now a journalist assigned to interview him - who questions the integrity of the revolution.
The two men lock horns in a daring battle of wits and world-views. Using multi-media projections, real-time camera work and a live scratch DJ, the audience is taken back to 2010 to reveal their turbulent history.
This “thrilling rap drama” (The Guardian) is a night of vivacious fun, “dextrous... word smithery” (Time Out) and awe-inspiring eloquence which asks challenging questions about human rights and the rule of law.
A post-show talk following the Wednesday performance will give you the chance to interact and put your questions to the cast.
This extremely current production promises to be a thought-provoking, entertaining night out for young people and adults alike. The Rebel Cell is enjoyable, challenging theatre which will keep you thinking long after you leave.
A highly irreverent political comedy which is a night of vivacious fun and awe-inspiring eloquence.
For a preview of the show, click here
Age guidance 14+
Tickets: £15, under 25s £10, discounts available.
More Information
Directed by Giuliano Crispini
Created by Baba Brinkman & Rowan Sawday
Designed by Adrian Gee
Design Assistant Ben Gibbons
Construction Manager Matthew Herd
Produced by Giddy Ox & SPL
The Creators
Rowan Sawday
Rowan is also known as Dizraeli and has just finished playing to 40,000 people at Glastonbury! Rapper, writer, poet and singer with the band Dizraeli and the Small Gods, Dizraeli is a hip hop tour de force. Taking in politics, love, rain, supermarkets, grief, drug culture and masculinity with a sense of humour and directness that can make you wince, Dizraeli won the 2006/7 Farrago UK Slam Poetry Champion and also the BBC Radio 4 Poetry Slam winner.
At the Edinburgh Fringe 2009, Rowan won the prestigious ‘What’s on Stage’ Musical Theatre Matters Special Jury Prize for his ‘outstanding performance’ in The Rebel Cell.
Baba Brinkman
Baba is a multi-award winning writer, performer, spoken word artist and MC. His credits include The Rap Canterbury Tales which has since toured the world receiving 5 star reviews and an award for theatrical excellence at the Edinburgh Festival and The Rap Guide to Evolution which has received huge critical acclaim and the extremely prestigious Scotsman Fringe First Award.
In 2008, Baba teamed up with UK BBC National Slam Champion MC Dizraeli to co-write The Rebel Cell, which was one of the most critically acclaimed shows of the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe, with eight different four and five star reviews, as well as winning the Spirit of the Fringe Award.
The Producers
Speers Productions Limited are the original producers of the West End Smash Hit Hip Hop dance show ‘Into the Hoods’. They have joined forces with Giddy Ox, to co-produce this vivacious and daring multi-award winning show.
Giddy Ox is a critically acclaimed theatre company. Our in-house team works with a wide range of free-lance artists specialising in commissioning and producing new productions.
About Giddy Ox
Giddy Ox celebrates the telling of stories through theatre performance. We are passionate about providing opportunities to highly skilled individuals and seek to nurture the very best emerging talent, as well as working with some of the most established names in theatre. The theatre we offer is uncompromising, expressive and thought-provoking. Working with playwrights from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life, we want them to help us tell stories that are as yet unheard, that speak to us and cause us to challenge the way that we view the world.
We have a commitment to the creative well-being of ourselves, our community and the theatre. We want to create alternative, innovative and inspiring theatre, to reach out to those to whom theatre is inaccessible, inspire audiences and to celebrate our precious time on this planet. Our education and outreach programme allows us to reach new audiences, to motivate and enthuse students and to develop the skills of new practitioners. With workshops for schools, apprenticeships and consultancy days we love to share our art and our experiences.
Reviews
Awards & Critical Acclaim:
Musical Theatre Matters Award – Winner
Spirit of the Fringe Award – Winner
Critics Choice Award – The List
Critics Choice Award – The Dubliner
‘Plenty of fun . . . A thrilling rap drama!’ – The Guardian
‘So dextrous is their word-smithery’ – Time Out
‘It’s like listening to a cross between Shakespeare & Mike Skinner of the streets . . . a joyful experience’ – The Scotsman
‘Hard to beat . . . the magnificent performances of the two rappers and their DJ’ – British Theatre Guide
‘Furiously beautiful to watch!’ – Theatre in Wales
‘High Octane lyrical content . . . a cerebral savvy production . . . with vivacity and zeal’ – The Fest
‘Extraordinary freestyle poetry’ – The List
‘Powerfully intelligent and awe-inspiringly eloquent, Baba Brinkman and Dizraeli are the saviours of Hip Hop’ – Three Weeks
Click here for a 4 star review on The Public Reviews
Critical acclaim for Giddy Ox:
‘The play is strikingly intelligent and well constructed . . . the production as a whole is an object lesson in how to do naturalism!’ – Time Out
‘This play exploits to the full the dramatic tension inherent in occupation, as the simple classifications of enemy and friend are blurred by deeper acquaintance . . . Era-evocative, persuasive and convincing!’ – The Stage
‘CHARMING, under-stated and consistently funny - this was near-faultless theatre.’ – The Docklan
