LIL.MISS.LADY Announces Gloucester, Salford & Brixton As Part Of UK Tour

Fresh off the back of a sold out World Premiere run at The Pit, Barbican, HighRise Entertainment (The UK Drill Project) has announced a UK tour of Lil.Miss.Lady as part of the company's 10th anniversary celebrations, with tickets on sale for dates in Gloucester, Salford and Brixton.

The immersive exploration of the history of Grime, starring MC Lady Lykez, lifts the lid on what it takes for a female MC to navigate her way through a heavily male-dominated industry in the early 2000s.

Lil.Miss.Lady will pack up its basslines and visit Gloucester Guildhall on 31st May, Salford's Lowry on 13th-14th June before landing at Brixton House from 9th - 13th July and 16th - 20th July.

Part-y rave, part-y drama, this multi-layered show is a proper gig with a hard-hitting, no holds barred narrative. Telling the story of a Grime crew hellbent on becoming superstars, Lil.Miss.Lady follows their journey through the sounds and visuals of Black-British bass music culture, as they climb from Channel U to number 1 in the charts, and Lil.Miss.Lady hits number 32 in the NME's coolest acts of 2004.

Lil.Miss.Lady's stellar cast includes Fahad Shaft (Silo, The Witcher) who will be playing Blanka, Joshua Cameron (Supacell) who will be taking the role of Twist, and Alexander Lobo Moreno (Love, Death & Robots, B@iT) who will be lending his talents to the character of Hypez.

Award nominated international DJ, presenter and grimologist DJ Kaylee Kay will be spinning the wheels as DJ Harmony, and up-and-coming MC Aliaano Elali will be bringing all of his performance skills to the stage as DJ Rat.

The production wholeheartedly celebrates Grime and its women while shining a big, bold, bass-fuelled spotlight on the problems and inequalities of the music industry. As Lil.Miss.Lady bursts onto the scene, she's faced with different expectations to the boys, and it becomes pretty obvious, pretty fast, that she's being exploited.

In Lil.Miss.Lady the audience are part of the script; instead of seats there's a full-blown dancefloor with a bar and RAVERS can get stuck right in, dance, celebrate, and film the show to share with their friends on socials. A series of mini-mixes break up the story, blurring the lines between theatre and gig, as the storyline blasts through the years, from the early stages of Jungle, through UK Garage, Sub-Low, Funky House, Dubstep and Grime.

 

Lil.Miss.Lady features original music from, Best Book / Lyrics winner at the Black British Theatre Awards 2024, Lady Lykez and Dominic Garfield, mixed by live DJs including DJ Kaylee Kay, and inspired by a series of interviews with key female figures from one of one of Britain's biggest and most influential sub-cultures (Lady Stush, Lioness, Queenie, Baby Blue).

Throughout the past ten years, HighRise Entertainment have been pioneers of creating cross-genre live events that blend theatre and rap music. Pre-drama school, the HighRise creative team were Grime, Hip Hop and Rave artists and promoters, and have combined their experience and expertise to develop a truly honest and authentic concept that sets the pace on the level of innovation that is possible on-stage.

R&D performances of Lil.Miss.Lady sold out The Roundhouse and shut it down in front of a massive crowd at Latitude Festival. Written and directed by HighRise Entertainment's Artistic Director Dominic Garfield, this genre-defying production blends playful, immersive, and thought-provoking theatre with Rap and Grime to inspire young audiences and connect with their souls by holding up stories that reflect their lives, while also also serving the older generations who were around at the time of the development of the scene.

Dominic has delivered an impressive list of hit shows that deserve all the clout; he created the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award-winning The UK Drill Project (The Pit, Barbican), The Concrete Jungle Book (ArtsDepot / The Pleasance) and Merryville (Camden People's Theatre) as well as working on collaborations with The National Theatre, Royal Exchange Manchester and the V&A.

Writer and director of Lil.Miss.Lady Dominic Garfield said:  "As cuts in funding for the arts limit creative potential, HighRise's ambition continues to disrupt, drive and grow. The UK nightlife scene is shrinking due to forced closures of clubs and venues, and the need for HighRise's work is becoming more and more essential.

"To merge theatre and a Grime rave, at this moment, is a big middle finger from all of us who are told we can't. To centre the voices of women in the scene helps us celebrate whilst forensically examining what it means to fight for the art and culture we all deserve.

"This show is nostalgic, authentic and a tingle of the senses; with the hottest soundtrack, elite performances and a shared mission of joy. I can't wait to share it with the world!"

Grime artist Lioness, who took part in HighRise's R&D, said: "So excited to see Lil.Miss.Lady. I love the idea of a theatre production centered around Grime music but from the perspective of a female MC. I appreciate the writers for taking the time out to approach us women of Grime to get a well-rounded view. It's going to be amazing."

HighRise are the OGs and have paved the way in using music, theatre and first-hand testimonies to represent unheard voices in inner-city Britain. Over the last decade, they have worked with over 2000 young people to create thematically and stylistically relevant work for audiences that look just like them, getting introduced into the Arts Council's list of NPOs in 2023, as the only Black and Brown led theatre company newly added to the portfolio in London, in the process.

The company set up NewGens in 2020 for young people facing access issues getting in theatre and arts spaces, and alumni of the initiative can now be seen in film, TV, theatre and as arts administrators. HighRise have also supported participants in locking down drama school places at RADA, LAMDA, Guildhall, and Royal Welsh, and have overseen the implementation and training for drama school students in HighRise's style of working at Guildhall, Central, East 15, Italia Conti, and Middlesex University.

The cross-arts collective won the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award in 2022 with The UK Drill Project, which challenged myths about the genre. Partners have included Nike, HOODRICH, The National Theatre and the Barbican Centre as well as specialised art conservatoires including East 15 Acting school, Italia Conti and The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Ticket links:

Gloucester Guildhall: 31st May
Lowry (Salford): 13th-14th June
Brixton House: 9th - 13th July and 16th - 20th July

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