It’s December 1641; King Charles is about to be formally challenged by a handful of MPs and radical commoners. In 50 days, the nation will plunge head first into a conflict that pitted neighbour against neighbour and shattered the very core of our constitution.
With parallels to Brexit, questions about the monarchy, a new grime soundtrack and a little bit of fake news, #50days is a new musical told through the eyes of underrepresented people of today.
#50Days tells the story of the 50-day period that led up to an outbreak of the 17th-century British Civil Wars. Set to a Grime score, the show gives young people a chance to interpret the narrative of a time when this country was politically fraught, in the shadow of a plague, and felt well and truly divided.
Written by ThaboStuck, Music by Darkstar and Duramaney Kamara and Amir Saleem, Nyasha Gudo as Director, Nadine-Rose Johnson & Kevin Sable as Musical Directors, Melody Sinclair as Choreographer and performed by a company of brilliant 14-21 year olds.
Price
Tickets £18
Prices and discounts subject to changeRunning Time
Approximately 1 hour 10 minutes with no interval
Age guidance
11+
This production may contain references to death and sex/ Strobe lighting/ Haze/ Mild Violence/ Mild Language/ Politics.
Performances
CONCESSIONS
We offer a range of discounts and concessions to enable everyone to enjoy an affordable visit to Birmingham Hippodrome.
CONCESSIONS FOR UNDER 18s, 65+, FULL-TIME STUDENTS & CLAIMANTS
£5 off standard price tickets in all seating areas.
CONCESSIONS FOR PATRONS WITH DISABILITIES
£5 off standard price tickets in all seating areas.
2 for 1 for disabled patrons who require the service/support of a companion.
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TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Discounts and Concessions are offered subject to availability at the discretion of the Information and Sales Manager. Top three price bands only, unless otherwise stated. Restrictions may apply. Only one discount per ticket may apply, unless otherwise stated. Offers are non retrospective and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid ID must be presented where applicable. Additional discounts may be offered from time to time.
Nyasha Gudo
Director of #50Days. Nyasha has directed on a range of projects at various subsidised and west end theatres across the country from the Chichester Festival Theatre, National Theatre, Birmingham Repertory Theatre and The RSC. Most recently Nyasha has directed a co-production between Headlong Theatre and Belgrade Theatre of A play for the living in a time of extinction and was associate director on Spitting Image Live at the Birmingham Repertory.
Thabo Stuck
Born and raised in South London. His heritage is Black South African and German, with both of his parents meeting in London after immigrating here in the 1980’s. Growing up in a squatting community full of artists, he has always had a curiosity about the world and never hid away from trying new things. He has a fondness for words and always found
comfort in how the possibilities and combinations seem endless. It is for this reason as a teenager he became interested in Grime music, which represented an entire generation of young black Brits.
In 2020 he joined the board at The Old Vic, the local theatre in Lambeth. His work as the Lambeth Balyis Trustee included working with the community and education department, advising them on how to maximise their outreach potential and impact. Having never spent much time in or around theatres, this experience piqued his interest in the theatre world and
he continues to work with The Old Vic as an education associate.
He made the decision that he wanted to write something but had very little idea of what that might be. But one evening, he sat in a pub with a friend in London and they were having a heated debate about BREXIT, as many people would have been in 2018 and continue to do so. His friend made the statement that the most comparable period in our history to BREXIT was the British Civil War, where many of our ideas around sovereignty were formed. This struck a chord with him and as he was walking home, he passed parliament and Oliver Cromwell’s statue. Skepta’s Shut Down happened to shuffle on his phone and as the headphones pounded out Skepta and JME’s verses, he visualised a black MC, dressed as a puritan on a stage, rapping about the shutdown of Parliament under King Charles in 1629. This was the birth of the idea for #50Days and the start of his journey in the world of Musical Theatre.
Darkstar
The soundtrack for #50Days is contributed to by northern duo Darkstar (WARP Records), who are key players in the international electro scene for the past 15 years. Many of the sounds feature in Haunted House, their sound library plugin, developed in collaboration with Spitfire Audio. “Haunted House is made up of those sounds that creep around, and lie in the periphery. We look to the body of a sound, then a blurred edge; a ripple of something that burns”. These sounds provide the perfect backdrop for #50Days and help to capture the urgency, tension and dark matter brewing in the winter of 1641.
Melody Sinclair
Melody Sinclair (she/her) studied Urban Dance Practice at the University of East London (UEL). Alongside her studies, she became a member of ZooNation Dance Company and trained with Boy Blue Entertainment. Current work: Associate Choreographer on SIX the Musical (London, UK & International Tour, Norwegian Cruise Lines and Chicago Shakespeare Theatre). Melody’s choreographer credits include: Choreographer of Unfortunate: The Untold Story of the Sea
Witch (UK Tour), Choreographer of Treasure Island (Hall for Cornwall), Associate Choreographer on To The Streets (Birmingham Hippodrome/China Plate Productions) and Co-Founder of Marshon Dance Company (Birmingham). Melody’s performer credits include: ‘Messy Love’ NAO, London Fashion Week London, Ellesse AW19 Partner Conference, ZooNation: Unplugged (Sadler’s Wells Theatre), The International Olympic Committee Head of State Performance (Royal Opera House), Breakin’ Convention (Sadler’s Wells Theatre), ZooNation: Groove on Down the Road (Royal Festival Hall), BBC Dance Proms (Royal Albert Hall), Pioneer DJ: International Music Summit.