Not Black and White:Category B

Thu 8 Oct 2009 – Sat 19 Dec 2009

by Roy Williams

‘There is no theatre in Britain that punches so consistently above its size and weight than the Tricycle in Kilburn. It may be small, but big things happen here. It has pioneered a series of tribunal plays, ranging from the Stephen Lawrence enquiry to the events of Bloody Sunday, and earlier this year presented a day-long marathon of one-act dramas chronicling the history of Afghanistan from 1842 to the present war in Helmand. No theatre offers greater clarity when it comes to exploring fault lines in British society. Now the theatre’s artistic director Nicolas Kent has embarked on another grand projet – three new plays from three of our leading black dramatists exploring contemporary life in London, to be perfromed in rep by the same ensemble of actors. Still to come are pieces by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Bola Agbaje…..Hard-hitting and superbly acted…shot through with both dark humour and tentative flickers of hope.’ The Telegraph

‘A chilling portrait of a collapsing system..steers admirably clear from convention’ The Guardian 

‘An explosive opening salvo…an intense drama, packed with action and never didactic’ The Metro 

*****‘If this first night is anything to go by, audiences at the Kilburn venue have an extraordinary few months ahead of them’ Whatsonstage 

‘Vitally, the writing is direct. It attacks the myopia that leads many young black men to end up there.’ Evening Standard

“No one wants to go to a Cat B prison, no-one wants to come here, prisoners and screws alike.”

Saul runs a tip-top wing – the screws love him for it, especially Angela. Prisoners follow his rules, and it’s all gravy. But Saul’s number two position is vacant, new inmates are flooding in, so everyone’s feeling the heat. Errol could fill the gap, but he’s up for parole in 6 weeks, and new kid Rio’s rocking the boat. No-one wants to go to Cat B, but the world on the outside is a different story.