Afrofuturistic Performance Artist LADY VENDREDI Makes Her Soho Theatre Debut

Grace Jones meets Grindhouse in the form of Afrofuturistic performance artist Lady Vendredi, who makes her Soho Theatre debut next month. THE PASSION OF LADY VENDREDI plays at Soho April 12-20, as a co-production between new company MAS Productions and Britain's longest-running black theatre company nitroBEAT, which challenges the perception of live performance in its current form.

nitroBEAT believes The Passion of Lady Vendredi will present a radical new vision for the future of contemporary music-theatre. "It's time to rebel rather than represent, to challenge rather than conform, to excite through the unexpected and under-expected," says Diane Morgan, Artistic Director of nitroBEAT.

Referring to the recent climate of controversy surrounding lack of cultural diversity at arts and entertainment award ceremonies, nitroBEAT Morgan added: "Responsibility lies with both mainstream and alternative theatres and artists to take risks. Audiences and demographics are changing. I'm excited by experiential and highly politicised performers like Lady Vendredi, who blur artistic boundaries to find new ways to tell untold stories, and venues like Soho Theatre, where we're a resident company, who want to present things you've never seen before."

Performed by DJ, musician, actor and Afrofuturistic performance artist Nwando Ebizie, the alter ego character of Lady Vendredi emerged through performing on the stages of theatres, clubs and music festivals and her work with experimental director and musician Jonathan Grieve, her MAS Productions partner. Previously Nwando has performed with Princess Superstar as well as supporting Peaches, Charli XCX and A*M*E.

A viciously beautiful and exuberant immersive music theatre production, The Passion of Lady Vendredi will explore the tension between freedom and control, personal gods and demons, censorship and intimacy. The live original soundtrack of pulsating synthetic rhythms and dirty bass are tracks from the new Lady Vendredi EP, with support from Floating Points, Emanative Four Tet and Gilles Peterson, to be launched simultaneously alongside the show.

Watch Lady Vendredi's video for "What Time Is It?" below.

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