RAPTURE Opens at Pleasance in June

Rapture blends elements from spoken-word poetry with movement and fast-paced narrative action to paint a vibrant portrait of queer life in contemporary East London. The debut show from Pink Sky, a collective of LGBTQIA+ artists taking an interdisciplinary approach to making queer theatre, Rapture is a three-hander centring gender non-conforming identity, the politics of polyamory and radical self-expression.

Rosy, Tommy and Kit are clued-up, kinky and queer as f*ck - until safe spaces fracture and identities start to shift. As events in the present bring past traumas to the surface, the bonds within this chosen family must shudder and transform if they are to survive. Soundtracked by a mix of contemporary queer British artists with verbatim recordings from the community, Rapture takes a sensitive look at the intersections of consent, kinky practices and substance use in LGBTQIA+ settings. As a company, Pink Sky bring artists and audiences from counter-cultural cabaret spaces into dialogue with more conventional theatrical forms and buildings.

Rapture was first developed under the mentorship of Tabby Lamb's Queer Theatremakers' Handbook Course, it had a scratch sharing at The Glory as part of nightlife producer Xanthony's Werk in Progress, before evolving into its current form during an R&D Residency at London Performance Studios.

Sophie Leydon (She/Her) is a Writer and Director whose practice centres staging LGBTQIA+ experience through interdisciplinary forms. She is the recipient of a Developing Your Creative Practice Grant, was a participant in Mountview's inaugural Director's Studio and has been nominated for the Sit Up Awards for 'groundbreaking work that platforms social issues'. Her work has been supported by funding from Thrive London and staged at venues including The Omnibus, the Exeter Phoenix and Theatre Royal, Plymouth.

Writer/Director Sophie said, 'Rapture is an interrogation of how the ways that we as queer people heal ourselves intersect and overlap with that which causes us harm. To me, the story is an urgent reminder of the limits of self-reliance, and in turn the uplifting potentials of community solidarity. As queer, kinky and subversive spaces continue to face closure in the wake of the pandemic, alongside discriminatory policies from London councils, Rapture suggests a sanctity of the communality we crave so deeply. Making the show has been a joyful collective process, bringing together creatives from diverse disciplines to find the form for the characters' lives. It is so exciting to be presenting our debut production at a mainstream theatre venue like the Pleasance.'

Simon Fraser (He/They) is a queer theatre Designer and Producer from London. In 2021, they completed a Master's degree in Set and Costume Design from Wimbledon College of Art. As Creative Director of Bloom Theatre Productions, he is dedicated to creating work that showcases the voices of LGBTQIA+ artists across live and digital performances.

Information

28 June - 17 July 2022

Downstairs, Pleasance London, Carpenters Mews, North Road, N7 9EF

Tues-Sat 8pm, Sun 6pm, 4pm matinee 16-17 July

£15, £13 concessions, £10 previews | www.pleasance.co.uk | 020 7609 1800