Dealing with issues around the contested heritage of many of the items on display in our museums and stately homes, Please Do Not Touch follows Mason, a social justice activist, as he endeavours to uncover the true stories behind these disputed artifacts.
Eye-opening / Intense / Provocative
This thought-provoking new drama is inspired by an experience writer Casey Bailey had when he visited a nearby Heritage House: “I became very conscious that I would see ‘please do not touch’ signs sitting on artifacts that never should have been touched in the first place, and it sparked something in me.”
After an incident with a Somali Afro comb, Mason finds himself inside a Young Offender Institution. Now in the belly of the systems he is protesting, Mason uses the power of poetry to survive his ordeal and navigate how to keep speaking up when everything is designed to silence him.
Written by former Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey (GrimeBoy, Birmingham Rep) and directed by award-winning theatre maker, Gail Babb (Stars, Tamasha – OFFIE’S Best New Play 2024), Please Do Not Touch is a brand-new co-production between China Plate and Belgrade Theatre.
Join us for this world premiere, which asks important questions about colonial legacy, contested heritage and how stories are told, whilst shining a light on the criminal justice system.
“One of Birmingham’s best and brightest voices.” – Vanessa Kisuule
“Rooted in local issues and lives, it is utterly refreshing to see this kind of theatre, spoken with its own poetic, streetwise argot.” – The Guardian on Grimeboy
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, for making this project possible.
CAST & CREATIVES
Actor | Tijan Sarr
Voiceover – Radio Presenter | Jade Samuels
Voiceover – Marsh/Anson | Corey Campbell
Voiceover – Judge | Paul Warwick
Writer | Casey Bailey
Director | Gail Babb
Designer | Miriam Nabarro
Sound Designer | Kayodeine
Associate Lighting Designer | Jodi Rabinowitz
Lighting Designer | Gillian Tan
Movement Director | Keiren Hamilton-Amos
Dramaturg | Yaël Shavit
Engagement Facilitator | Adaya Henry
Producer (China Plate) | Jade Samuels
Producer (Belgrade Theatre) | James Ashfield
Production Manager | Rob Wimperis
Company Stage Manager | Emily Davies
Touring Production Manager | Terry Lee Dickson
Technical Assistant Stage Manager (Touring) | Maddy Wade
Wardrobe Supervisor (Belgrade Theatre) | Naomi Thompson
Technician/ LX Op (Belgrade Theatre) | Rob Coates
Technician/Stage Crew (Belgrade Theatre) | Seth Blackburn
Producing Assistant | Maya Shah
Executive Producer (China Plate) | Paul Warwick
