Birmingham REP and Black Country Touring are to restage their “unique” play Eat! in Wolverhampton in May.
Inspired by personal stories of war and poverty, Eat! will take place in the unusual setting of four caravans in a courtyard next to the Lighthouse Media Centre at The Chubb Buildings, Fryer Street, Wolverhampton.
Eat! “weaves together theatre, live music, installation, beatbox and spoken word in a production that takes audiences on a journey inspired by many stories that have been collected from people across the West Midlands”.
The site-specific production using four caravans is based on personal accounts of what, when and how we eat and why it matters.
The stories span the globe and tell of how people have discovered new worlds through food—from famine to hunger strike, persecution to celebration, anorexia to obesity.
Director Steve Johnstone says, “The stories may have come from across the Midlands but in fact they could have originated anywhere in the world.
“We've talked and listened to people from a huge variety of backgrounds telling us about war, poverty, family celebrations and some quite unusual meals that would repulse even the hardiest foodie.
“We've given a voice to some of these memories, bringing to life moving, charming and honest stories.
“We wanted the setting for Eat! to be more authentic and real than walking into a theatre.
“The caravans help to partition the stories into themes and locations. Audiences are not just on the front row—they are right there in the middle of the story.”
Each performance of Eat! is restricted to 60 people who are divided into four groups of 15.
The creative team behind Eat! includes Birmingham writer Rochi Rampal and directors Steve Johnstone and Frances Land who are co-artistic directors of Black Country Touring. Design is by Purvin and music by Sheema Mukherjee.
The cast includes Beatbox and spoken word artist Sharanjit Bansil and actors Nia Davies, Graeme Rose, Vimal Korpal and Katrina Demetraki. They are accompanied by a community choir of singers from across Wolverhampton and the West Midlands.
Eat! will be staged in Wolverhampton from 22 May until 1 June. The play was first presented in Birmingham in October 2012 as part of Birmingham REP’s offsite season.