The Newham Plays: towards the making of a pro-localist theatre in Newham, East London

The use of public environment as alternative auditoria and ‘mixed economy’ participation to create new writing which originates from, and is rooted in, a community’s history, culture, and people.
This essay contends that a localist and grassroots approach is the most effective way of empowering wider access to the arts. It argues for an increased emphasis on performance in local spaces rather than in mainstream auditoria. The Newham Plays series have marked out a distinct territory by making a virtue of the absence of elements most commonly associated with conventional theatre spaces, e.g., a stage, scenery, lighting, seating.
The Newham Plays, are a critically acclaimed series of site-specific, localist-focussed plays shows rooted in Newham's history, culture, and people, created, and written by James Kenworth. The plays are a unique collaboration between a writer, director, designer, and professional actors working alongside students from Newham schools and young actors from local youth groups/theatres.