No Future at Camden People's Theatre

Camden People's Theatre will present the world premiere of No Future by Adam Welsh - a playful theatre project merging true crime, verbatim theatre and film to examine how we rebuild in the face of uncertainty.

A Camden People's Theatre Outside the Box commission, No Future will be live streamed from 14 - 17 APRIL 2021 (covid safe).

This theatre experiment is borne of Welsh's inability to imagine the future, desire for meaningful human contact and being on the verge of quitting the theatre industry at the height of the pandemic. Welsh has been inspired by conversations with Jessica (96) and Kate (76), members of the local community in Camden and Adam's shielding grandmother Eve (90).

During the crisis, the theatrical world has been thrust into an arena with Netflix. Deconstructing a night at the theatre, No Future playfully puts it back together to investigate what theatre can be, what role it can play and whether we really need it. Is it possible to make live streamed theatre that has the same visual impact as film and yet retains a sense of liveness?

Adam Welsh said: "During the first lockdown, I didn't want to make or watch any live-streamed theatre. The idea of it was nauseating. Why is it that you put a play on film and suddenly it just looks like a bad film (and a bad play)? It was around this point that I tried to change my career. Theatre felt like a lost cause. I couldn't work and I wasn't eligible for any Government support. I left my acting agent, applied to be a postman five times, got rejected five times; applied to work for MI5, still haven't heard back- I guess that's out of the window now..."

"The opportunity to apply for this commission came up and I applied because I genuinely needed it. I was broke. And naturally that got me thinking about what it would be like to make a piece of theatre on the verge of quitting theatre, that was configured as a piece of live cinema."

Adam continued: "In the piece, we're reconstructing a burglary that happened in my flat a couple of years ago, with close family members performing various roles, and through this I'm trying to explore where we can turn in times of crisis. Ultimately, it's about our inability to know the future, time, vision and family. I arrived at these themes through conversations I was having with Camden residents. This felt like a radical way of working because the ideas themselves were developed alongside community members. Their perspectives expanded the kinds of thoughts I was having, and kept me focused on what really matters. And as a result, we've created a project that feels surprising, meaningful and urgent. It's not just about what I want to say as the artist, it's about the common ground we've all shared through this time."

No Future is the second piece in Welsh's 'You Were No Age' trilogy, a triptych of shows that combines True Crime with Autobiography.

About Adam Welsh
Adam Welsh is a writer, performer and sound designer. His debut show There but for the grace of God (go I) was developed with CPT and ARC, Stockton and most recently seen at Soho Theatre. He has worked with organisations such as The National Theatre, Headlong, Barbican, Schaubühne, Druid, Live Theatre, Young Vic, Sage Gateshead, The Yard, BAC, ARC Stockton, and Lincoln Center NYC. He is co-founder and associate artist of Obie award winning theatre company Dead Centre.

No Future is part of Outside the Box at Camden People's Theatre. The commission features four new digital, live and hybrid works that explore what forms theatre can take while venues remain closed, support artists and highlight the experiences of those in the local communities during the pandemic. Bespoke to the present period of social distancing, self isolation and lockdown, the four artists, John Akinde, Pigfoot Theatre, Adam Welsh and Anna Morrissey & Tristan Kajanus address global issues locally, speaking across the community from activists and schoolchildren to family and older people, the rap world and those with experience of the justice system. Further details can be found at www.cptheatre.co.uk.

No Future is a recipient of an Outside the Box commission from Camden People's Theatre, generously funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Arts Council England.

Lead Artist Adam Welsh

Co-Director Timothy Trimingham Lee

Video Director and Cinematographer Ian William Galloway

Co-Sound Designer & Video Associate Rob Hart

Set and Costume Designer Verity Quinn

Lighting Designer Neill Brinkworth

Production Stage Manager Tanya Stephenson

Production Engineer Harry Butcher

Intern Jordan Grigg

Associate Producer (CPT) Daisy Hale

DETAILS:
Adam Welsh

No Future

Wednesday 14 - Saturday 17 APRIL, 8pm (Sat 9pm)

Preview: 13 APRIL, 8pm

Ticket price: PWYC

Available to live stream at www.cptheatre.co.uk